


Rolling In Riches

by PrinceofDarkness15



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben is Finn's best friend, Dirty Talk, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Tension, Tagging as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:15:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26262532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofDarkness15/pseuds/PrinceofDarkness15
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 23
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

"Just admit it, Rey," Rose Tico, very soon to be Rose Finn Alexander, coaxed her companion as they walked arm in arm along the balcony. "It's absolutely perfect up here!"

Rey toyed with the stem of her wineglass and looked over it's ram at the expanse of the New York perfection that surrounded them. "Okay, fine. Point taken. It's breathtaking."

The testing and development cradle of Finn Alexander's all metal-skyscraper business was in a pristine setting of the Big Apple. So was the apartment that was overlooking his entire operation. Huge floor-to-ceiling double paned windows gave Rey a bird's eyes view of the hundreds upon thousands of buildings were Finn's line of monster corporation line of fine telecommunications were produced. 

But what claimed Rey's attention was the beautiful lights skimming across the Brooklyn Bridge. Overhead, the sky was a majestic deep blue, looking close enough to reach up and touch with the tips of her fingers. The lights shining below almost looked like a shimmering sea of diamonds.

"Pure paradise," she added, to her friend's delight. Rose beamed. Rey then offered her a toast. "And you look happy."

"I told you. There is nothing here not to love. You just need to let the city grow on you."

"You did promise me that," Rey took another sip of her dessert wine. "I'm planning on testing you, though. It's been ages since I took an _actual_ vacation."

She seemed to have pocked the right spot to remedy that. The main apartment, well more like a giant mansion nestled atop the 105th floor of an all-glass skyscraper, with it's floor-to-ceiling windows allowed views to take in the surrounding scenery. The air smelled clean from this height, even if it had a bit of a chill, but that was also the slice of perfection for Rey, since she'd just left the intense heat of the Southern California summer. 

This was all good, given that a portion of her motivation for making the trip was to check in on how Rose was doing. Rose Tico was her best friend, so Rey didn't plan to apologize for showing up to scope out the situation.

Or for tucking an extra credit card into her purse in case they needed a couple of emergency planet tickets. That was the maid of honor's duty too---driver of the getaway van in the event of a change of heart. In a big city like New York, Rey had recognized the need for a getaway car if she saw one. 

But one look at Rose, and Rey immediately knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Rose was glowing, and not just about the amazing apartment that her soon-to-be husband owned in one of the greatest cities in the world.

No, Rose's eyes sparkled with joy---true joy. The sight made Rose realize just how long it had been since she'd felt anything close to that sort of elation. This vacation was definitively long overdue.

Even if it was immeasurably sad to be so jaded. Rey could believe in love as something that blinded you to men's flaws while you were busy feeling deliriously happy.

"Jaded" was the word, alright. She took another sip from her wineglass and tried to let the flavor fill her senses and restore her faith in life. But the hard facts of her past remained unchanged. Love had been nothing but a toxin for her, and that just seemed to be her piss-poor luck.

So she smiled a little brighter to avoid being a killjoy while her best friend in the entire world was head over heels in love. She was the maid of honor, after all.

Finn Alexander, the object of her friend's affection, was leaning against the kitchen counter on the other side of the room with his best friend, Ben Solo. Turning her attention back to the scenic view took a little more effort than it should have, but there was no way that she was going to admit that she couldn't look away from Ben.

She _so_ wasn't going there. Their first and only meeting was branded into her memory, which pissed her off. Benjamin Solo was everything she needed to stay away from.

Tall, dark, and handsome, with the kind of money a gold-digger would be willing to undergo plastic surgery just to get her hands on. His kind understood their power too. They wielded it like a whip, expecting women to be their little pets. 

They only wanted control in a relationship, not love or equality in a relationship. No, Rey would never against submit to that kind of subjugation. _You're accusing him without an actual evidence....._

Her inner voice had a point, one that a certified lawyer would easily agree with. She'd already admitted tp herself that she was jaded. It was on her to-be-dealt-with-list, emotional baggage she knew that she needed to let go of it she was ever going to be truly happy. Even though she knew that she would end up independent and taking care of herself, Rey didn't ever want to turn bitter.

Things were going well, though. She was on her first real vacation since her divorce was finalized. Her boss was likely still in shock. Maybe it was time to really cut loose. She looked over at Ben Solo again but lost her nerve and looked back at the scenery.

One step at a time there, Rey, she decided. But on the other hand, the other half of her brain was scolding her. _You big fucking chicken...._

Yeah, but better safe than stuck in a relationship with a complete psycho. Men with too much money tended to slip into that category all too often. Rey looked back at Rose, giving her friend another quick once-over just to make sure that everything was good. 

Finn Alexander was loaded a noted recluse. But Rose was swirling her wine around the inside of the glass, a perfect look of relaxation on her face. 

"I told you the trip here would be worth it," Rose crowed, glowing with her victory. "I just find it so special."

"It's just that."

"But you're still worried about me," Rose said. "Rey, please, don't be. I'm happy. You'll see. Finn isn't anything like your ex-husband." A huge diamond flashed as Rose moved her hand. She extended it so that Rey got the full view of the three-plus-carat center stone. "You know when I first saw it, I thought it was too big, but it's growing on me now."

Rey took a long sip of her wine to ease the knot that had formed in her belly. Rose knew too well and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't hate the diamond just because Hux was a total prick about making you wear yours like an owner's label." Rose suddenly grinned in a very menacing way. "When is he due out of prison? I think I know just the right girl for him?"

Rey gave a husky chuckle. "Thinking of setting him up with Mara?" She had offered the name of Finn's last girlfriend, who had done her best to scare Rose off. "They might just deserve each other, but trust me, Hux wouldn't go for someone who just took his shit."

No, her ex-husband liked to break down his pets, crushing their spirit a little at a time to make the experience last longer. The harder the chase, the more he was interested. Oh yes, she'd been a most prized possession to him. One of his favorite toys.

He'd dated her for two years, and she'd been stupid enough to think that he actually loved her. No, he was a collector and she had merely been a challenge. 

Her insides chilled for a moment. She hated those echoes of being traumatized. She didn't want to live the rest of her life bitter, angry, and afraid. She knew how to defend herself now, and she was never going back. She had a bright future ahead of her. She told herself that again and again, but she would was still healing.

The moments when it reared its ugly head were less frequent now, but no less dismaying. Yeah, it was her to-be-dealt-with list. 

It was like a flashing neon sign that wasn't going away until she faced it. Master Yoda often reminded her that martial arts training needed to be total and complete and more than just the physical body. True peace came from within. But Rose was looking over at her suspiciously now.

Rey fluttered her eyelashes and wrinkled her nose, the way they'd both done when they were eight, and that was the perfect moment to change the subject.

"It took all day to fly up here. My backside is numb."

Rey offered Rose a grin to let her know she was teasing, then forgot what she was thinking as someone cupped the right side of her bottom. She nearly dumped out of her skin, whirling around instantly to come face-to-face with the one person she'd been spending a lot of time trying to avoid thinking about.

"You're definitely _not_ numb now," Ben Solo observed as he reached out to take the wineglass away from her before she spilled the dark red contents all over herself--or him.

Rey automatically raised her opposite arm and adjusted her stance to keep him from claiming his prize. She was pleased with how her martial arts training had become almost instinctual, and she allowed herself a gloating smile.

But she was less than pleased to noticed that his copper-amber eyes and coal-black hair were a stunning combination, with an added hint of boyish mischief that was almost endearing. Her eyes narrowed. That observation wasn't going to keep her from killing him. Rose quickly slid between them while her groom-to-be choked back something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"Okay...." Rose hooked Rey's arm and tugged her away. "I think it's girl time."

"More like pest-control time," Rose grumbled loudly enough for Ben to hear as she fell into step with Rose.

He offered her a smug smirk that said he'd welcome any attempt on her part to bring him to heel. The hint of boyish playfulness melted and forged into something harder, something far more mature.

"Bring it, sweetheart," he challenged her softly.

Sensation slithered through her belly, one she pointedly refused to name because she wasn't answering any challenge that concerned him.

"Don't get your hopes up, Solo."

Because she wasn't going there. But a gleam entered his eyes that caught her attention. Rose tugged on her wrist again. _Shit._ She turned to follow her friend. Had she really just let the guy mesmerize her? _Well, that was off-the-scale stupid of you, Rey Kenobi._

* * *

She wouldn't be answering a challenge the rose up from inside herself. That was just nature's way of leading her straight into trouble, and she had no intention of being controlled by her hormones'' reaction to a gorgeous hunk of ultra-alpha male--even if he was one of the most striking men she'd ever seen in her life.

Even if he made her shiver for the first time in a far too long. There was something about the way he moved that made her think of a wild animal on the prowl. He kept his hair long enough to brush just at the collar of his black button-downed black shirt, but it didn't strike her as messy like a teenager's, or overly styled like a metrosexual trying too hard to be something beyond a boardroom jockey.

Instead, she discovered herself recognizing that he wasn't quite tame. He'd conquered the business world quite successfully, but he was still had some growing up to do of his own in private.

The distrust that had sent her flying up to check on Rose returned, only now it settled on a much more personal target. Money often translated into power for a man. A normal man wouldn't have reached out and touched her. 

Ben was arrogant enough to think himself entitled to that kind of uninvited intimacy, because he was the master of _his_ own world. 

Awareness rippled through her again, awakening urges she'd thought long since dead. It was a sort of relief to discover herself emerging from the coma her failed marriage had left her in. But with another look up at Ben, she quickly dismissed the idea of having anything further to do with him. Really, it was a no-brainer.

Pure and simple, she outright rejected the notion. He was dominant and just waiting for her to show him she noticed, daring her, really. It was there in the way he watched her. His focus was unnerving, which alone was a good reason not to have anything to do with him. 

Some women were foolish enough to think that a man could change his ways, that he'd settle down once he connected with the right girl. Stop playing games, become docile. too bad, she was no longer that naïve.

Ben's boldness hinted at what could be an impressive experience. Bit knowing she needed to let go of her reservations about men didn't she she was getting anywhere near someone like him. There wasn't any inner peace connected with that man. He was a bundle of fire and ambition, and clearly, he was proud of it.

For just a moment, she considered making an attempt to shove her fears aside. It wouldn't kill her to flirt with her. Hell, it might even be fun.

_It would a total kick-ass ride and you know it....._

Temptation was like rich, good food. It might taste absolutely divine, but you'd pay for it the next day when you looked in the mirror---almost like you do after a night out drinking. Still, she lost the battle to ignore him and sneaked another glance.

For a moment their gazes fused, and she felt the connection like it was physical. Sensation rippled across her skin, awaking a thousand little nerve endings while her heart accelerated. His lips thinned, hunger darkening his eyes as the unmistakable glint of demand entered them.

He'd heat her to the melting point and mold her to suit his whims if she let him get too close to her. It was his nature. So she wouldn't engage him.

No, she'd had a taste of his elite world and didn't want another sample. Getting on her life would require someone a little more run-of-the-mill. That might translate into boring, but it also could be defined as steady and reliable. Two things she was positive she needed for inner peace.

Still, she couldn't deny that the current between them left her breasts feeling heavy and her clit sensitive. Honestly, she didn't want to deny it. It was selfish of her, but she clutched the knowledge to her heart and enjoyed the evidence that she wasn't so scared.

She pressed her tingling lips together and reached deep within for her self-discipline. She was going to condemn herself to disappointment. The reason was simple.

If the man could affect her so strongly from just being near, she'd be helpless against her own desires once she was in his bed. She wasn't going there. She didn't trust herself a wise judgement call. 

And that was sad because it was going to cut her off from something that might have been mind-blowingly intense. Completely pathetic. 

"Well, that was awfully bold of you," Finn observed as his bride took Rey off to explore the rest of the apartment.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Ben slid onto a barstool in front of the marble-topped breakfast bar while Finn tended a pan on the range top. "She's such a tempting little bundle. You can hardly blame me for trying, can you?"

"Work a little harder on that self-discipline, would you?" Finn slid a salmon steak onto a plate and sent it across the counter to Ben. "Holidays could get tense if you piss off my soon-to-be wife's best girlfriend, and I really don't need my wedding ruined by a death in my family. Namely yours. I understand that Rey is a black belt."

Ben made a little sound of appreciation, earning him a warning look from Finn. "She just needs to grow a sense of humor, but I'm open to the idea of her trying her luck at taking me down. Hell, I might even lie down for her."

"Yeah, right, that will be the day," Finn countered. "You could never lose with any amount of grace."

"I guess that's why I'm the one who stuck it out with you when the rest of the world told us we were never going to strike gold up here, but, here we are."

"Maybe," Finn agreed with a satisfied curl to his lips.

Ben lifted a bite of the salmon to his mouth. He chewed slowly before nodding. "I might have a job for you at Holdo's if you fuck up your own business."

"Ha-ha, very funny." Finn took a clean pan from the rack and set it on the range. He tossed butter and olive oil into it and swirled them around with a practiced motion of his wrist before adding another piece of freshly caught salmon. "I'll have you know that my profit is four percent above what I predicted for this quarter. We're completely in the black. Solid. So don't look for me to be joining you at your cliffside restaurant anytime soon."

"Not too bad," Ben remarked as he polished off hos meal. "It's nice to know we're not heading back to that shack on the shore back in our hometown."

Finn ate his meal leaning against the kitchen counter. He surveyed his apartment, and satisfaction covered his face. They were both a long away from Ohio where they'd both grown up. 

"It's nice to see you've finally made peace with the past," Ben remarked before standing up and taking his place over to the sink. He washed and rinsed before deposition it in a drying rack.

"Yes," Finn agreed, his eyes on the back patio where Rose and Rey were settling into two of the lounge chairs. "It does feel good."

Ben only glanced momentarily at Rose. She was her friend's complete opposite, with black hair and full curves. Rey had chestnut brown hair and a trim figure. He would have questioned if the chestnut brown was her natural color, but she had a pair of light hazel eyes to go along with it. 

But there was more to her that he found worthy of a second glance. She was fit and toned, like an elfin princess. But one of the warrior class. It wasn't the sort of tone a woman got from marking time on the local gym's exercise machines to burn calories. She trained her entire body, and the stance she'd taken when she turned on him told him exactly how she got the body she had.

Martial arts training made sense to him, while at the same time she didn't look like the sort of woman who would mix well with an all-male crowd at a dojo. That only made her more intriguing to him.

"Here, pal." Finn tossed something at him. Ben caught it, scowling when he realized it was a dish towel. "You look like you're about to start drooling on my counterspace," Finn informed him.

Ben thought about flipping him off bit settled for a shrug instead. "You can't tell me she's not worthy of it. I know good quality when I see it."

Rey suddenly turned her head and caught him watching her. Ben held her gaze, curious to see what she'd make of his interest in her. He wanted her to see it, wanted to watch her reaction to him. Her entire body tightened, the tension clear and almost palpable. 

She immediately turned her back on him, but not before he caught the hint of awareness in her eyes. An unmistakable flare of interest that she shoved aside, denying it, denying him.

Staying in the kitchen took a little more effort than he was comfortable with. "So tell me, Finn, what's the deal with her?" Ben turned back to Finn. "The first time I met her, she burned my business card like it carried a contagion or something. Is she a lesbian? That would be such a waste. Maybe I can talk her into giving men another try. Maybe have her go Bi-sexual. I could share her with a girlfriend. In fact, I know a few girls who would love to double-date with us."

The words rolled off his tongue but left a sour taste in his mouth for some reason. The idea of sharing her with anyone was suddenly unappealing. 

He was used to possessiveness in business, but he avoided it like the plague when it came to women. Getting caught up in anything more than sexual interest with a woman would be nothing but a time-sucking nuisance. 

"Something about her crazy ex-husband. Rey didn't want to go into details," Finn answered. "I understand the prick is in prison for assault. On her."

Ben felt the muscles in his neck tighten. Rage flashed through him a second before a detail about Rey surfaced from his memory. "Well, that explains the black belt."

Ben felt something new filter through his brain. Lust he was used to. His upscale restaurant and spa attracted gold diggers and trophy wives who spent a lot of time and money making sure their assets were in prime condition, so he wasn't really surprised to feel his cock twitching over someone as delectable as Rey. 

But there was something else now. A feeling he'd almost forgotten he was capable of. It was the distinct sensation of protectiveness, one that nothing to do with a decent human being whose hackles rose in the face of injustice. 

This was much deeper. Far closer to the part of him reserved for family. It was strikingly dangerous close to what he's call personal. It wasn't welcome at all.

In that respect, he and Rey had something else in common besides attraction. Now that was twisted humor from fate. 

"I haven't seen that look on your face in a _very_ long time, Ben." 

Ben turned and gave Finn a blank look. Finn shook his head. "We've played too many hands of poker, I know you, Ben."

"Well if you know me then you know that I don't do relationships," Ben cut back. "She's put together nicely. I'd have to be blind not to enjoy the view, but that's all I'm interested in." 

Finn folded his arms across his chest and pegged his friend with a dark gaze. "I call bull-fucking-shit."

Ben felt heat gathering on the nape of his neck. "You really want to get married, fine, but I'm not following you this time, man. I hope you have a prenup because a divorce at your financial level would be hell on your bottom line. I've worked too long for what I have to see a failed relationship take it away from me after I let down my defenses enough to share my personal life with someone. Like I said, I don't do relationships, just hookups. Rey looks fun. That's all I'm interested in." 

Finn shrugged. "You just keep telling yourself that, man." He looked out at his soon-to-be wife. "I used to think the same way myself before Rose came along." Finn turned his attention back to Ben again. "And I don't ever regret changing my tune."

"I didn't come up here for a match-making session. Leave that to my mother." Ben warned. "She's got the guilt tone down perfectly."

Finn snorted. "Agreed. Nothing like good old fashioned Skywalker-Solo guilt. Your mother has already called me to ask if we're going to start a family, since I don't have a grandmother and you and I are as close as brothers. To her way of thinking, I'm her son now so I need to think about putting family first. Seems like I'm not getting any younger."

Ben held up his hands in mock surrender. "Like I said, she's the master. And of course, she would ask you something like that. Imagine how many times she's asked me that same question?"

"She'll be here in another day," Finn's eyes narrowed. "She won't miss the charge in the air between you and Rey." 

"She will if I avoid Rey like the plague."

Which didn't give him any satisfaction. In fact, it was irritating the hell out of him. Finn was watching him, his lips slowly rising into a knowing grin. 

"You know, a true friend would have eloped."

Finn shook his head. "Having the ceremony up here in New York got me a long enough lecture."

"Oh I bet."

Ben took one last look at Rey before turning his back on her. Once the wedding was over, he'd be on his way back to Southern California and the plentiful contact list he had stored in his phone for times when he wanted female companionship. The last thing he needed was the complication of a relationship he knew wouldn't work. 

Or the risk of letting someone close enough to his heart to sink a knife into it. Women like Rey Kenobi were dangerous because they were of quality, and dismissing her wouldn't be possible.

His damned fascination with her would die over time. He was sure of it. He would make sure of it. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rey skipped down the stairs the next morning, eager to enjoy her time in New York. Seeing the Big Apple in all it's glory was on her bucket list. So now that she didn't need to implement the escape plan, there was nothing to do but enjoy her trip. So let the fun begin. 

She'd dressed in jeans, a loose tunic and comfortable, yet sporty tennis shoes. She tucked her cell phone into her pocket and made a quick stop in the kitchen to fill up a water bottle. Snapping the lid shut with a satisfied smile, she was ready to begin her new adventure of what was to be her new life. 

"Wait."

She thought she might have imagined the curt word, but when she turned around, she discovered Ben Solo in the oversized living room of the apartment. He'd transformed in a corner of it into an office and stood typing on the keyboard of a laptop placed on a raised desk.

That suited him. He didn't strike her as the type to drive a desk. No, he was the one in the position of control, no mistake about it.

But he had his back to her and still noticed her. That sent a little chill down her nape. No matter what she'd decided about ignoring him, men who had sharp senses were just damned sexy in her book.

The sense of awareness was building up inside her again. The sound of him tapping the keyboard filled the room. He continued, his attention on the screen in front of him. Rey turned toward the door, taking her chance to escape from the sizzling aura he radiated.

It was practically tangible. Her awareness increased with every second she shared the same air with him. Her heart was accelerating as Ben pressed against her comfort zone. 

She was responding to him, feeling like she was being drawn to him. And the longer she stood there, the more aware she became of details about him. Tiny things that shouldn't have drawn her attention, like the way she used his fingers on the keyboard so precisely, so expertly. With just a hint of excessive strength that sent a curl of heat across her clit.

She turned and headed toward the door before her self-control crumbled any further. Either he had some imbalance in his pheromone levels or she was more desperate than she'd realized.

She needed to upgrade his priority on her to-be-dealt-with list.

"I told you to wait, Rey." 

She stiffened and fought off the urge to snap at him. He was being arrogant, and she was ultrasensitive about being ordered around by men. Especially when she wanted to leave the apartment. A dark memory stirred, and she pushed through the entryway door before her past got its claws into her.

She was going to enjoy her time in New York, and she was going to let go of her emotional baggage. A brisk walk to Central Park would be perfect. Maybe she'd find some of that inner peace Master Yoda was so often telling her about. As much as she loved her martial arts training, she had to confess that meditating to clam her inner spirit was something she struggled with on a daily basis.

The air was crisp when she exited the apartment---a sharp contrast that helped her snap out of the trance Ben's presence had sucked her into. She drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and did her best to hear Master Yoda's voice instructing her. 

The beauty of the city itself and granite towering skyscrapers were a welcome distraction. The freshness of the air smelled fantastic, and she felt her troubles dwindle in the face of the timelessness of her surroundings.

There was really more to life than a bad choice in her past. She set off, smiling to herself as she let her new life, her new profound freedom lead her forward. 

Ben snapped his head around as Rey disappeared into the entry room. Arousal surged through him, taking him completely by surprise. It was intense ands sharp and shouldn't have been so acute, considering he'd tried to take the edge off his appetite in the shower that morning.

That had pissed him off. He'd worked his ass off for years so that he'd never have to jerk off again. He liked success and women and all the comforts that went with making sure the gold he and Finn had unearthed was invested in business that would continue to increase his fortune. 

Women were plentiful in his world, and he gave them only as much as they gave him. A balanced, fair exchange. 

He walked over to the entryway door and pushed them open. Rey was already gone. He stopped in front of the outer doors, looking out at the busy oncoming traffic, the streets filled with fellow New Yorkers, tourists, but she was nowhere in sight.

She'd gone around the side of the apartment building and out into this massive blur of people just to avoid him. Alright, he was being a little dramatic to take it personally. But that didn't stop a second wave of heat from rising along his cock. It thickened behind his fly, beginning to ache. He should forget her.

Women who wanted to be with him were a lot easier to deal with. That thought didn't stick because the intensity of their connection lingered, with a sting that wasn't fading. 

He debated for a moment. His childhood was full of stories about listening to his instincts. Those memories conflicted with the logical side of his brain new that without a doubt how much trouble following Rey around promised. It promised something else though, something that made his blood heat with anticipation. He should walk away. Sex shouldn't be controlling, only enjoyed.

His lips curved into a very confident grin. He'd enjoy the hell out of Rey's delectable body, that was for damned sure. 

"I've got to find her," he murmured underneath his breath.

Reaching for a light jacket and slipping it on, he headed out the door towards the elevator. Rey was inexperienced when it came to making her away around New York. A map and some thorough knowledge of this city is a must. 

Ben stepped out of the elevator the second it hit the main floor and made his way outside. He'd been New York hundreds of times. And knowing Rey as he knew most tourists, he knew exactly where she would be heading first. Central Park.

Satisfaction moved through him, surprising him because he hadn't expected any sort of challenge in tracking her down. But it was there, warming its way through his blood, a level of enjoyment he hadn't felt in a very long time. Just maybe, his buddy's wedding would have some fun attached to it after all. 

* * *

Rey smiled. Once she made it to Central Park, she could see the ocean of towering buildings all around her. The grass green, the air fresh with the smell of summer. Birds were calling to one another as a light breeze moved the branches to produce a rustling sound. 

For a moment, she closed her eyes and let the sounds fill her senses. She drew in a deep breath and smiled at the earthy scent of the air. Sure, it was still loud around her but for a moment she felt peace.

Not this was a vacation. No sounds of phones ringing in a cramped office building, no need to check her inbox ever half hour. Her clothing was designed for practicality instead of the ability to impress her next client. It was the whole "escape from reality" package she and been looking for. She would definitely return here in the future even if it was just for a small weekend getaway.

_Ben Solo could put the cherry on top of it all..._

She laughed at her own thoughts but realized she was avoiding admitting just how much the guy buzzed her system. 

There was nothing tiny about the disruption he was sending through her. In fact, it was really starting to snare her curiosity because it was such a change for her. It wasn't as if she hadn't had opportunities to date in the last month.

But having her sexual appetite turn back on so suddenly was actually sort of a triumph, proving that Hux was losing his grip on her more and more. It was a moment to be celebrated, bit all she ended up doing was shivering as the memory of Ben's hands on that keyboard surfaced. 

She noticed details about him. Too many of them. It had to be an unhealthy level of attraction. Like a drug addiction. She went over towards one of the many bridges in the park, leaving the heart of the park itself behind. Okay, so the apartment and Ben. 

Fine, she was a chicken, but the guy oozed sex appeal, as well as arrogance. There was no way she was going to do anything about what she felt for him. The bottom line was that she wasn't going to play with fire. You play with fire, you get burned....badly. _You big chicken....._

Okay, guilty as charged. But better to be safe, than sorry. Rose and Finn had left early that morning to run errands for the wedding, including fittings on Rose's bridal gown and Finn's tuxedo. Rey was just happy to have some free time to herself. 

She had no problem being alone, and she loved to move her body, and feel her own strength and limberness. Her childhood had been a series of foster homes, which had taught her to enjoy her own company. So had her marriage to Hux. Today, she aimed her attention at the wonder surrounding her, snapping a couple of pictures with her phone before setting off again. 

She walked further along and heard water rushing in the distance. As she got closer, it turned got louder and louder. Just over the bridge, a massive flowing creek was making its way down the rocky slopes. 

The energy was raw and hypnotizing, drawing her closer to the display of nature's serenity.

"Be careful there, Rey." She jumped, stumbling as she landed on the last step of the bridge. "Even shallow creeks can sweep a full-grown man off his feet."

Ben was poised halfway down the bridge in a low crouch. She blinked, doing a double take. "How did you find me?" she blurted out, betraying just how startled she was.

He slowly grinned, the curving of his lips arrogant and full of pride. He then tapped his ear and replied, "If you want to give me the slip, it's best if I don't _actually_ hear some of the places you said you wanted to visit while you were here, Rey." 

Something slithered through her gut again, just a little stronger than the first time. This time, there was no way to avoid facing what it was. Sexual hunger gnawed at her insides, refusing to be ignored. She didn't need it complicating her life, but it rose from some dark corner where instinct refused to be ruled by logic, leaving her with one irrefutable fact.

Cravings didn't have rules or respect for her desire to play it safe. The guy was so damn sexy, drawing her attention to every detail of his person.

Logically, he was everything she didn't want anything to do with, but that had no effect on the excitement the sight of him set off inside her. Every detail about him was quite literally...mesmerizing. 

She knew he was full-blooded, all-around American, but somehow seeing him so confident in his element drove that home. It struck her deeply. His high cheekbones and sharp features made him even more attractive than any man she'd ever seen. He was dredging up an approval rating for some deep, dark part of her mind. 

It was pure reaction, and it shocked her into stunned silence. He held himself in that half crouch without any effort, proving the had serious strength, and no one got that strong without some training. The clothes had to be throwing her off balance. The first time she'd met him, he'd been in an all-black Armani suit. It was a fat cry from the jeans and cotton button-down shirt he had on today. 

But that wasn't the reason she was having trouble dismissing him. Even in the suit he'd looked primal. Ready to pounce. She'd sensed something about him that made her stomach flutter. 

Her gaze traced the expanse of his forearms where he had the shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. Sharply defined muscles were on display, covered in ghostly-pale skin. Ben let his hair grow until it was brushing his collar. It was almost as if he was making sure everyone knew that he wasn't tame and had no desire to be.

"I told you to wait."

She jerked her attention to his face but found his expression unreadable. She expected her temper to flare, but instead she had to fight the urge to proper her hand on her hip.

The desire to flirt rose up, recklessly tempting her to engage him. The problem was that she had no trouble he'd rise to the challenge.

"Finn didn't need to set you to minding me. I'm just fine on my own, thank you very much." 

Rey turned and began walking across the bridge, along the edge of the creek, breathing in the beauty of the scenery, the rushing of the water, the brisk air. Okay, and doing her very best to clear Ben out of her senses.

But she only felt the charge that came with knowing his gaze was on her. It was like an advanced game of chicken. The urge to turn her head was driving her literally insane. She was stubbornly determined to prove that she could and would ignore the riot he was causing inside her. 

Which unveiled another problem: she was enjoying the challenge of pitting her will against his. 

* * *

Rey headed back towards the main area of the park. She could feel her heart working harder to fuel her body as she pushed herself. Heat moved through her legs and sweat coasted her forehead, but the effort was worth it. The hours confined in an airline seat melted away.

Her overall sense of triumph was short-lived. Just before she made it to the crest, Ben came into her peripheral view, his longer legs allowing him to overtake her and reach the ridgeling first.

He scanned the area on the other side before nodding and looking back at her. She felt the connection between their gaze, his copper-amber eyes stunning her with their brilliance and the unmistakable energy burning there---burning for her, she realized with a sense of shock and even, if she were being honest with herself, satisfaction.

_Talk about playing with fire....._

"You seriously can't be half Native American with your pale skin." She bit her lower lip, trying to get a grip before exposing herself any further. 

Any curiosity about him was bound to land her in a situation she'd already decided that she wouldn't be stepping into. But logical choices weren't sticking. They were just slipping aside as her hormones raged and need tried to rule her. 

"According to the books and my mother, I am. Am I understand that you think otherwise?" He offered her a hand and she hesitated for a second before stepping to her left to avoid joining him. 

_Avoid touching him, you mean...guilty as charged..._

"Yes, amber-eyes are recessive," she said, but found herself wondering why that mattered so much if she wanted nothing to do with him. 

Actions spoke louder than words, and she curiosity was proving her interest. His lips twitched up, proving that he'd noticed her lapse. "Well, according to my mother's ancestry, Apaches used to like to take captives," he countered. "My ancestors enjoyed a challenge and had a taste for the unique." 

A ripple of anticipation moved across her skin. There was a hint of promise in his tone, along with something else that stroked the heart flickering inside her belly. 

"You do too," she remarked, pointing toward the exit of the park. "Rose told me you and Finn stuck it out on claim in your hometown." 

Changing the subject was pathetically chicken of her but no doubt a wise course if action. Ben nodded and said, "Yes, three long years. They seemed longer when I was living them."

"These are times like that." For a moment, it felt like they had something in common. Conversation felt so natural with him, so very comfortable. "Time has a funny way of dulling the blunt edges of reality." 

"I'm not so sure about that," he offered with a flash of a smile that gave her a peek at the boy he must have been. "I think....I'm close enough to smell blackened squirrel."

He sniffed the air and shuddered, shaking his body like a large dog after a bath. She laughed at him. "Well, I hope that it's not on the menu tonight. Looks like we have plenty of dining-out options."

"Don't worry, I'll give you the un-blackened portion of my squirrel." When he saw Rey make a face that looked like something between disgust and concern, he patted her on the shoulder gently and added, "That was a bad joke, Rey."

She propped her hands on her hips and planted her feet wide. "I came here to New York. I expect my share of hardships." 

He took a moment to sweep around the area before returning his attention to her. His smile was now gone, a pensive look in his eyes.

"You burned my card the night we first met. Care to tell me why?"

"It wasn't anything personal." She replied as if her boundaries were being pressed. "Everyone has one or two skeletons. The important part is that the skeleton is dead."

"But yet, the ghost still haunts you," he stated firmly, with a little too much truth to suit her. "I can see it in you eyes."

Rey shrugged and didn't care for how forced the action felt. Her confidence was trying to desert her, leaving her feeling completely exposed. "It's on my to-be-dealt-with-list, okay?"

Ben's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. She could see the truth of his nature in his eyes. He was used to being in control and getting whatever he wanted. At the moment, that was to unmask her, something she wasn't going to let him do.

The truth was, she didn't think she could bear being stripped down so such an unguarded position again. But that was her failing, not his, and it didn't her the right to be bitchy.

"It's nothing." Her tone was even and devoid of emotion, which was a major accomplishment.

She felt like she was boiling, the heat twisting through her, increasing with every second second he watched her. Peeling away her façade with nothing more than the force of his nature. 

"Besides, I'm sure you don't need any female issues to deal with while you're here." 

The ghost of a smile touched his lips. They were full, sensual lips that looked like they tasted fantastic. There was a restless energy pulsing around her insides that she recognized from a time when she hadn't forbidden herself impulses or playing with fire. 

"You think I am like most men?" he questioned smoothly.

_No, definitely not...._

Not that she was going to admit it to him out loud. He moved closer towards her, his eyes never once leaving hers. His very all alpha-male presence left a metal-on-metal sound that made her flinch because it fit the hard nature of the man standing before her and the uncivilized location. Everything here--basic, blunt....savage. And that suited him perfectly.

He stopped next to her and she fought the urge to take a step back from him. He was too close. Far, _far_ too close. 

"Truth is, Rey, I'm not like any man you've ever known or will ever know."

Her mouth went dry. But her temper came to her rescue at last, flickering to life and burning through the haze of attraction dulling her wits. "I think you're used to being the boss around here. Getting what you want _all_ the time. That's understandable. Angelino's is impressive, but I like to keep my private affairs just _that_ , Solo---private. Along with my vacations." 

So maybe it wasn't the flare of temper that was sizzling inside her. Maybe it was pure panic, but she wasn't in a position to quibble over details. She needed her head cleared before she did something...impulsive. Or worse....stupid.

She started down the sidewalk, intent on discovering where she was heading next. Intent on anything that wasn't Ben and her reaction to him.

She dug deep, trying to gather enough focus to control herself. The sound of the rushing traffic, the shouts of people walking by filled her ears as she dug her feet into the concrete and concentrated on her footing.

She felt Ben behind her, shadowing her....stalking her. He made sure she caught sight of him from time to time. It was an exquisite sort of torment, that moment of having him in sight before he'd fall back and leave her with the knowledge that he was watching her with those intense, amber eyes.

Well, she wouldn't be turning around to engage him. She kept moving until she made it the next street and paused on the crest to savor the next big view.

The summer wind blew into her face, cooling the sweat that had formed in her hairline. She smiled, enjoying the proof that she'd pushed her body.

"You enjoy a challenge too." He inserted himself back to her world. 

Okay, so she really hadn't been successful in ignoring him but she wasn't ready to admit it yet. Ben stepped up beside her, standing only a pace from her. Sensation rippled across her skin and down her body. She'd never been so aware of a man before. She wanted to be irritated, but all she could do was feel the way he was pressing against her comfort zone.

Like some ultra-high-stakes game of mock chess. 


	3. Chapter 3

She moved aside, but had her attention on Ben rather on her footing. A startled cry escaped her lips as she felt her body weight dropping, but it turned into a muffled word of profanity when Ben curled his fingers around her bicep and yanked her back up.

Breathless and panting, he held her tightly against him for a moment, seeming to allow his own surge of adrenaline to subside. She knew he'd seen her almost plunge into danger, and if he hadn't been right there, she would have been seriously injured, maybe even killed. Ben seemed to know only too well that this beautiful city could turn deadly at any given moment.

She lifted her elbow and dropped it on the other side of his hand. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she was breaking his hold or just responding to the panic rushing inside her.

"You're welcome," he mocked.

"Thanks," Her tone was less than gracious.

He studied her face for a moment, his eyebrows lowering in contemplation. "You need to deal with that ghost, Rey." 

"Actually, that's sort of the idea of being here." She opened her hands wide. "A bit of a soul-seeking sort of adventure." She straightened her stance and faced off with him. "I believe the custom is to undertake such personal journeys like that alone."

He shrugged, unrepentant. "This is New York, not sunny Southern California. Your marital arts aren't going to be much use against a gang of five or six men who want to rape or worse kill you. Even if you know how to use a gun, you didn't exactly take one with you. I told you to wait because you're green." 

It was a blunt fact that made a lot of sense, but she didn't care for the direct blow to her pride.

"You know an explanation would have cleared that right up," she said and rolled in her lower lip because she was itching to bicker with him. 

The urge was almost impossible to ignore, even though she knew it wasn't rational. She wasn't going there, to that place where she lost control of herself and started going after him because she just couldn't quell the urge. 

"But I so enjoyed walking with you more." He was testing her. Tossing down a gauntlet to see if she'd reply. "The journey you need to take is one that leads you back to the thing that left a scar on you." 

"You're getting a little too personal there, Solo." The words slipped past her lips. The moment she heard him, she shook her head, but he reached across the distance and caught her chin.

She shivered, the contract as jarring as she'd expected it would be. His skin was warm and smelled enticingly male. He turned his hand over and stroked the back of his fingers along her jawline. She felt like she was on the edge of busting into flames, at the point when all the heat was trapped inside her, ready to flare up.

"Really..." She struggled to find the argument she needed to make but got lost in the intensity of his copper-amber stare. It was stripping her bare.

She dragged her gaze and turned back toward the apartment. "You really need to stop running, Rey."

She waned to. The desire was welling up inside her, flooding her. Terrifying her with just how close she was to letting go of her control. She couldn't. She wouldn't, actually. She just couldn't risk trusting again.

She headed back towards the apartment instead. For a moment, she thought she heard a soft, male chuckle. She ended up tightening her hand into fists and increasing her pace. The man had just sent her into a full retreat. 

Ben fell into step behind her. He wanted to reach out and drag her to a halt. He found himself battling the urge as she took to the uneven ground with a strength that turned him on even more. His cock thickened, hardening as he watched the way she moved. 

He was no stranger to admitting the backside of a woman, but here was something completely different from what he'd been enjoying in feminine companionship.

No sleek dress dell over her curves; no delicate ankles were set off by fuck-me six inch hell stilettos. There were only jeans, just big enough to need a drawstring to keep them around her trim waist. He caught a glimpse of her firm bottom as she moved, bit what triggered another wave of lust in him was the realization that she had selected those very jeans with function in mind.

His cock hardened to marble. He lost the battle to let her make her getaway cleanly. 

"The ghost wins if you let it control you so well," he said. With the apartment finally in view, Rey hesitated, flashing him a quick look. She was shaking her head, but he reached out and hooked her elbow. "I bet the prick would love to know that you're running away from what I make you feel."

She smacked his hand so quickly that she surprised even herself, the sound loud now not even the blaring sounds of taxi's could drown it out. But her lips parted in shock as she stared at the spot she'd struck on his forearm. 

"Shit!" She was completely out of control, exactly the way she'd feared. She turned away from him, the need to escape driving her. "Look...I'm not ready for something like this. I'm sorry, it's nothing personal."

It was her way, a nice way of chickening out. Ben, however, seemed to see right through it, through her.

"You're having the same effect on me." He spoke clearly from behind her.

A jolt of excitement shook her, freezing her into place. Her knees went weak and her nipples drew into hard points as excitement swirled through her thoughts, clouding ever rational thing she'd been thinking. 

"And I find it very personal, Rey."

She whirled around and almost crashed into him. He was right behind her now. Far too close for her unsteady emotions. But losing control wasn't going to be the answer---it never was, never had been.

"I'm not interested in a fling with you." She made sure her words were clear and precise and delivered in a smooth tone. "Not with my best friend's husband's best friend. That could easily get messy." 

Her statement was a perfect execution of what she'd decided she wanted, but looking at him undermined her determination. He was just so damn attractive with his inky black hair and the way he exuded power over her. Two midnight-black brows lowered as her statement sunk in.

Something about his physique, his energy, his whole demeanor was pulling her towards him. "You're such a bad liar," he accused her, with something between a smirk and a determined grin.

That glitter of mischief was back in his eyes, making her nipples tighten even more. She wanted to label him as arrogant, but the truth was the truth.

He turned her on more than she had ever been before. And he knew it, which only made her hotter because she wanted to know just how sharp his powers or perception were when he was making love. 

"And here I though you said it was on your to-be-dealt-with-list..." His tone was smooth and silky soft.

Suspicious prickled down her spine. She lifted one finger. "Don't, Solo."

He cocked his head to the side. "Don't remind you that you're running away, or don't notice how sexually charge the air is between us?" He had surprised her by chuckling. With amusement sparkling in his eyes, he was even more attractive to her now. "Or don't notice how good it felt to touch you? Take your pick, sweetheart."

Shit! Oh shit!

"I'm really more trouble than you need, Ben." It was an admission, one she felt was ripped from that spot inside her soul where she had shoved every last bit of emotional turmoil still clinging to her. "Or deserve," she interrupted him when he opened his mouth to argue. "And you're right. I need to deal with things and you coming to rescue me isn't going to accomplish that. I have to take the journey for myself." 

Disappointment was raking its claws across her insides, but she dug her feet in and pushed off with every step to widen the space between them. She made her way back into the apartment and up to the guest room Rose had given her.

Rey flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as heat teased her clit and need gnawed at her. It had been a long time since she'd actually desired any man in particular.

Sexual tension was something she normally satisfied with her vibrator, but she knew today she'd end up nursing an appetite long after climaxing. The need was much deeper. More intense. Just like the man who had unleashed it. 

It intrigued her beyond anything she could remember, and at the same time, it scared the hell out of her. But what stuck in her throat the most was the way that it had challenged her. A challenge was something she just couldn't ignore. What made her worry her lower lip the fact that she was practically certain that Ben Solo knew her weakness.

* * *

Finn raised an eyebrows when he joined Ben on the sidewalk. "Judging by the look on your face, I think you made a good call in going for a walk like you said."

Ben slid out of his jacket and folded it over his arms and shrugged. "Believe me, I'd rather use my bare hands on her."

"Any chance you could wait until after my wedding to get your arm broken?" Rose asked, jokingly. 

"She took off without a map, or without a chaperon. She doesn't know this city and what sort of crazy, lunatic people live in it," Ben defended himself. "I did her a personal favor by following her to make sure that she was okay."

"Last I checked, she was a grown ass woman---"

"Don't give me that shit, Finn," said Ben with a low snarl. "A beautiful, attractive young woman like Rey walking about one of the biggest cities on the eastern seaboard, alone---all alone and she doesn't run into a spot of trouble? Bull and shit is what I say!" 

Just because he'd enjoyed it, that didn't change the facts. And he had enjoyed it. Ben shook his head and and walked into the main lobby, hoping the cool air from the A/C unit in the building would ease the heat coiled in his gut.

He and Rey had more in common than she realized. She was just as uncomfortable with the level of attraction between them as she was. But he grinned as he contemplated on telling her that.

He just might o it for the pleasure of seeing her spit at him. _Spitfire._ Maybe it was an outdated word to describe what this was, but somehow it suited Rey Kenobi to a tee. In fact, he liked the ring of it. 

Too much. He didn't need the complication of being involved with a woman beyond casual sex. Really, he didn't.

But the look in her eyes haunted him, pulling on his resolves even as he tried to reason out why he needed to remain steadfast in all his choices. Weddings were a bloody pain in the ass, he decided. 

The apartment Finn Alexander has purchased was massive, but Rey still found it rather crowded. The knowledge that Ben was there was the same as knowing there was a bear loose in the hallways. Dinner conversation flowed, but she was on edge, fighting to keep her gaze from drifting over to Ben’s every few seconds or so. 

It was a draining effort, and she felt wrung out by the time the meal was finished. And that was a shame. She enjoyed the occasional fine meal because keeping fit required strict dedication to calorie counting. 

But dinner passed in a haze of tension as she battled her rioting hormones. When the opportunity to escape came, she took it without hesitation. Rose was leaning against the kitchen island, her groom-to-be next to her. Rey selected a bottle of wine from the fridge and picked up two glasses. 

“If you two gentlemen will excuse us.” 

Finn frowned at her. At least her poise didn’t desert her in the face of displeasure. She moved closer and reached out to pull Rose away from the island. 

“Sorry boys. Girl’s night,” Rey announced softly. 

Rose laughed and turned to blow her husband-to-be a kiss. “It’s a sacred pact, babe. Girl's night.” 

His features softened, and he relaxed back against the edge of the island. Rey moved on, but the look was branded into her mind. That was love. Not that she had any personal experience with it, at least not on the receiving end, anyways. 

For a moment she was bitter, feeling the bite of jealousy and loneliness more keenly than she normally did. But Rose’s presence helped drive Rey‘s memories back into the shadows, and she followed her friend down the long hallway.   
  
Just because she didn’t have a man in her life at the moment didn’t mean she didn’t like to have fun every now and again. 

"Don't think I didn't notice, Rey Kenobi." Rey looked up from where she was painting Rose's toenails. Her lifelong friend had an empty wineglass in her hand and a knowing look on her face. "Ben Solo is--" Rose made a small circle with her index finger---"getting to you."

Rey finished and sat up. She took a moment to screw the top back onto the nail polish bottle. "Since he has less than twenty-four more hours in my company, it's going to be a moot point very soon."

Rose finishes off her wine. "He owns Angelino's."

"I know that." Rey reached for the wine bottle and poured some into Rose's glass. "I'm going to have to go into mourning. That was one of my favorite restaurants when I came to visit you here."

"Don't be such a chicken." Rose picked up her glass. "It's been a long time since---"

"Not long enough if you ask me," Rey fired back quickly. Too quickly. She groaned with defeat. "Okay, fine. Point taken."

Rose toasted Rey with her wineglass. "You can bet your ass Hux isn't moping around. Or at least, he won't be once he gets out of prison."

Rey drew in a deep breath and let it out. "He was never faithful to me anyway." She took a drink from her own glass but smiled. "I'm over it, anyways." 

"Not that over it if you're letting Ben slip through your fingers," Rose persisted.

"I can totally be over my marriage and not be interested in Ben Solo, Rose."

"Except for the fact that I saw your face the first time you two met," Rose refused to drop the subject. "He rocked your world. Admit it."

"I'm not denying it, Rose. I'm just making the choice to say no, is all," Rey answered smugly. "I have every intention of leaving romance with billionaire playboys all to you. I tried it once, and didn't like what I saw, and that was enough for me."

"Finn and Ben weren't born rich."

Rey set her wineglass down and opened the nail polish again for a second coat. She was ignoring the topic, and Rose wasn't playing along.

"You shouldn't just give up, Rey. Hux came from a long line of assholes who thought their shit didn't stink. The look on his face when the judge sentenced him was priceless."

Rey smiled. "Yeah, it was. He'd never encountered a situation before in his life where his money and connections couldn't buy him out of a mess. Part of it was my fault. By taking his shit, I helped him think every other girl would, too."

"You shouldn't have," Rose replied, her tone hardening. "I can't believe you hid it from me."

Rey only offered her friend a delicate shrug. "It starts out as pride and only toughens over time. I didn't want to admit to myself that I'd made such a colossal mistake in marrying Hux, much less to you or the police."

"The biggest problem is that since you didn't testify against him, no one will notify you when he gets out of prison. But I guess it's good he's got a target for his anger, even if he was cheating on you."

Nothing had ever stopped her ex-husband from doing exactly what he wanted, when he wanted. Certainly not the bonds of holy matrimony. Rey thought for a moment about the stripper who had testified against Hux. The rest of the world might think that her ex would go after the girl, but Rey wasn't so confident.

Hux separated people into groups, and most of them fell into the "disposable" one. He never spared them any more of his time beyond what would benefit him in the long run.

"Any friend of Finn is someone you can trust."

Rey focused on the purple nail polish she was dabbing onto Rose's toenails. The scent rose up to tickle her nose as the light glistened on the wet surface. 

"I'm just not ready for a relationship, and since he's your husband's best friend, it would be a lot wiser for me to steer clear of any entanglements that might make for awkward moments in the near future."

It was neat, logical, and complete and total bullshit. She knew it, Rose knew it. There was no denying the inevitable, Ben and Rey were attracted to one another, so much that it reeked with sex appeal. 

"A good counter argument, but as your best friend---" Rose shook her finger at Rey--"I have to deliver a firm kick to your ass on the general topic of getting back into the dating world first."

_You have a ghost in your eyes..._

Ben's words rose from her memory, sending a shiver down her spine. Rey screwed the cap on for a final time and found Rose eyeing her with suspicion. 

Rose nodded. "Sacred friend duty. You'd do the same for me."

Rey laughed. "I _have_ done the same." She lifted her wineglass and leaned back in her chair. "I'll take it under advisement." 

And reject the idea completely for all the right reasons, no matter how frustratingly annoying it felt. No matter how good it felt. 

"You do that," said Rose. 

Long after Rose had wandered down the hall toward the master bedroom, Rey was still having trouble dismissing Ben Solo from her thoughts. It was like an annoying itch in the middle of her shoulder blades that she just couldn't quite reach. 

Even the relaxation techniques Master Yoda had taught her didn't help. so it remained to bug her. At least she would leave Ben behind in another day. But somehow, she wasn't entirely convinced that distance would solve the problem she was having. The reason was simple: he was correct.

She had noticed the pluse between them. It was unruly and intense. Sinking into her in a way she'd never encountered. Utterly and completely uncontrollable. But she was never going to admit it to him.


	4. Chapter 4

A howl woke her. Rey sat up and looked around the room. The sun had finally gone down and now the stars were brilliant, and a yellow moon was casting an amazing level of light in the nighttime hours. There was a whimper and then another howl.

Neighborhood dogs, it's got to be. She could sleep when she got back to Southern California. She got up and hurried into her jeans. Only the kitchen light was on, but with so much moonlight coming through the windows this high up, it made it easy to walk out onto the balcony. 

She opened the outer door slowly, sliding through to keep moving it too much. She pressed the door shut and knelt door. The starlight illuminated the city below. Half the city, even after ten o'clock was still busy---just hustle bustle, go, go go. _All_ the time. 

Turning her head slightly, she saw Ben. Her breath caught as she took in the way he blended with the darkness, startling her.

"The hell, Solo," said Rey, clutching her chest. "You about gave me a fucking heart-attack!"

Ben closed in on her, moving right next to her. She bit down on her bottom lip as he appeared against the brilliant moonlight wearing only sweatpants and an open shirt. 

"I would've saved you, if you had," Ben whispered. "I've been told that I'm _very_ good with my hands." 

Rey rolled her eyes at this comment, not finding it funny in the very least. Before she could argue, he had his arm draped around her, his scent filling her senses. Why did he smell do damn good? 

Not that it really mattered. He was still as a pond water but his skin was warm---hot, even. It felt like she was suspended in time. They might have been anywhere, in any year. Ben massaged her neck, his fingers working the stiffness from the muscles as she straightened. 

It felt like there was an innuendo in is comment. But maybe she was just being too sensitive. _To-be-dealt-with-list._

She drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Ben's hand was under her hair, the touch so intimate that she was loath to pull away. He threated his fingers through her hair, pulling his hand free as he finger-combed the strands.

He watched her as he did it, his eyes reflecting in the moonlight. He was in his element. Call it cheesy or lame but she couldn't shake it.

So she backed away from him. His shirt was open all the way down from his front, his sweatpants sagging low on his waist because he didn't have them tied. And his feet were bare.

"Aren't you cold?"

He slowly smiled and extended his hand. "Judge for yourself."

She started to reach for him and froze. Indecision held her in its grip as the evening wind blew her hair around. One of his dark eyebrows rose as she hesitated.

_You chicken....cluck, cluck, cluck....._

She reached out and touched him. Allowed her fingertips to rest on his forearm for a moment that felt more like a mini-eternity. It ended when he twisted his arm around and captured her wrist. He stepped up to her, pulling her towards him. She could have broken the hold, if she were able to think clearly.

Which she wasn't. Her brained seemed to have shut down completely. Somehow, she was caught in a storm of sensations, completely unwillingly to think about anything.

She simply wanted to experience a moment. Well, it was quite a moment. Rich was scents and sensations that were intoxicating. His breath teased her ear and then her cheek. A shudder, sending a tiny gasp through her lips.

Ben took advantage of her parted lips, pressing his down on top of them and tasting them slowly. God, how long had it been since she'd been kissed?

Pleasured flowed through her, gaining in strength like a flame catching a wick. Sure, she knew that a candle was for lighting, but until it was lit, the memory of how bright it could shine was dim. She stepped back. Startled by how much she liked his kiss.

She wanted more. A hell of a lot more. 

"I-I'm--"

"It's okay, Rey, don't be afraid. I feel it, too."

But she turned and headed back into the apartment before she could do anything impulsive. Midnight moon madness. That was all. Only she wasn't really sure if she could ever be sane again.

Her lips burned from where his own had been. Even if the kiss hadn't been all that deep, it still managed to leave his mark on her skin. Running her tongue over her bottom lip, she could still taste Ben there as she finally closed the door to her bedroom once more, collapsing onto the edge of the bed, breathless as to what just happened.

He had kissed her. Benjamin Organa-Solo had openly and willingly kissed her. 

He tasted like spearmint---fresh and crisp like the winter air on Christmas morning after an overnight snowfall, leaving her completely breathless. 

"My God, Solo, what are you doing to me?" she asked herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

It had been months since she had last kissed a man. Not even her ex-husband had the capability to take her very breath away like Ben Solo had, which said a lot about him. Then again, Hux was born an asshole and he would remain an asshole until the day he died.

There was no changing a man like that no matter how hard you tried. And believe me, she _had_ tried every trick in the book to make him happy. She went to the gym and worked out for hours, she maintained a healthy diet, she bought fancy new clothes---sexy naughty lingerie---you name it and _still-_ \--nothing.

It never seemed to be enough. But Ben Solo---God Ben was _so_ different compared to Hux. All she had to do was breathe and he was captivated...enslaved.

Something told her that if she asked him to take her against the edge of the guest table in front of all these people, he would do it without hesitation. That's how hungry he was to have her.

So why on earth was she so afraid to give in? It was clear she was attracted to him, that she wanted him in a similar way.

_No! No, Rey, you will not be just another notch in a man's bedpost---even if that man is the most gorgeous thing you've ever laid eyes on! You can be chicken all you want, but, you deserve so much better!_

Rolling onto her side she tried to drift back off to sleep but all she could see was the copper-aura of those eyes of his filling her dreams, haunting her.

How the hell was she ever going to escape from him, from this growing feeling she had whenever she was around him?

* * *

She really hated weddings. Rey plastered a smile on her face and ordered herself to let the past go. She wasn't the only one in the world who'd married the wrong guy. Weddings as a whole shouldn't be hated, especially when they were as polished and upscale as the one Finn Alexander was willing to pay for.

A huge warehouse had been transformed into a dream wedding venue at Central Park. It came complete with lighting and a sound system hoisted into the rafters on stage rigging. 

The normally walls were hung with hundreds yards of satin that reflected the lights perfectly. Candles lent their soft flickering light to the scene as a small army of catering staff made sure the guests all had seats for the ceremony.

The ceremony itself went off without a hitch, and Rey had to admit the moment of softness when Finn took Rose's hands in his and spoke his vows. Something in the way he looked at Rose almost made Rey believe they might actually be destined for a true happily-ever-after.

Who knew? Maybe they were. Maybe she was the only one who didn't know how to judge a man's true character before she was in too deep to get herself out. _But you did get out._

Yeah, she had. That thought lifted her spirits as the ceremony concluded. The moment Finn took his bride into his arms and kissed her, the assembled guests broke into a cheer, dominated by the sound of Ben's voice letting out a deep savage cry. Rey was mesmerized by the sight of him tipping his head back, exposing the ghostly pale column of his throat.

She found herself wanting to taste it as if she was some kind of blood-lusting vampire wishing to sink her teeth into her prey. She still wanted another taste of his kiss. 

Heat rose in her cheeks, and she looked at the ground to conceal her confusion. When she raised her head again, she found herself looking straight into Ben's copper-amber eyes. The force of the connection traveled through her, making her take an unconscious step back. His lips lifted in response as Finn turned with his bride and faced his friends and colleagues, leaving Rey directly facing Ben.

He was in an Armani suit again, but now he struck her as much more intimidating than the first time she'd met him at Angelino's on the California coast.

The polite mask he'd hidden behind while overseeing his multimillion dollar restaurant was gone, allowing her to see the true nature of the man he really was. She felt an unmistakable touch of pride on his behalf.

She did love it when someone didn't cry quits even though the odds were against then. Admired it because she knew firsthand how much strength it took to force yourself to face the hard her edges of reality. Ben closed the distance between them, cupping her elbow before she recovered enough to realize his intention.

But he didn't stop there. He slid his hand behind her, grazing across her lower back and turning to face the assembled guests before locking his hand around her hip. A crazy, intense twist of need went through her pelvis.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," he said as the photographer snapped pictures. 

Ben guided her away from the arch under which the ceremony had taken place. Rey felt a shiver of triumph at that. The sight of him standing there with his shirt open was branded into her memory....forever.

"You know something, Solo, I really think you enjoy messing with the boundaries that I try to place between us."

The catering staff pulled aside a curtain all that exposed the second half of the tent, where tables and a dance floor had been set up. The freshly pressed table-cloths and silk floral garlands draping the perimeter of the room were gorgeous, but Rey was far too conscious of the man next to her to take much notice. 

She felt a hairsbreadth from a full embrace, the sense of intimacy wrapping around her and tempting her to just lean against him.

"True," he confessed next to her ear. "You're enjoying it too. That's why you reached for me last night."

Ben's body heat was burning along her left side, and she was far too aware of how hard his body was beneath the fine Italian wool of his suit. His tie matched his eyes perfectly, and a pair of gold cuff links caught the candlelight when he bent his left arm.

It was all pretty-wrapping that she wanted to tear off him to get to the real present hidden inside. He raised one dark eyebrow when their gazes met. "You have no argument?"

She turned to face him to loosen his grip on her hip. It worked, giving her the freedom to step back, but he caught her hand as she moved, his fingers stroking the delicate skin of her inner wrists before he carried her hand to his lips and bestowed a kiss on her fingers.

"No." 

A single word had never made her tremble before. For a moment they were locked together in a connection that felt soul deep.

"Let's get out here. Right now. Just you and me." His voice had roughened. 

But she pulled away, feeling exposed and vulnerable. "It was just a little midnight moon madness and that doesn't change anything, Ben. Nothing."

He tightened his grip on her hand, resisting her attempt to pull free for a moment. Taunting her, really, his eyes glittering with a promise that was unmistakable. It was a subtle threat, one that she didn't have to deal with because they were surrounded by people. 

But she knew exactly what he was doing, and part of her refused to ignore it. She pushed her hand toward him to break his grip and lifted her arm away. But freedom didn't fill her with satisfaction.

Somewhere deep inside her brain, there was the unmistakable hint of enjoyment that he was stronger than her. Both in will and brawn.

Not that she'd ever admit it to him. It literally horrified her because it was a preamble to surrender, one she knew she had no hope controlling. The sensation was there, crackling like a fire getting its start. Something glittered in his eyes, confirming that he was able to look straight into her very soul and see it.

Their moonlight kiss was testimony to the fact that she'd lose her grip on reality in his embrace. Distance was the only hope she had. 

The fact that she made it to Rose's side without turning her ankle was a credit to how many hours she had trained, because she was on autopilot. The reception was full swing around her, fresh flowers filling the air with their fragrance, but all she noticed was the lingering scent of Ben's skin and how good his hand felt wrapped around her hip. 

She really wanted another taste of him. Ben wanted to follow her. The urge was hard and sharp. 

He stood for a long moment, feeling it roll through his body. It sharpened his senses, allowing him to pick out the details of the way Rey lowered her chin to keep her neck from being exposed and the stance she adopted to make certain she had him partially in sight while she fought the urge to look back at him. 

He didn't need the distraction but couldn't help but appreciate it. Although "enjoy" was a far better word choice. Maybe "eating it up" was more fitting altogether. He wanted to taste her again.

But admitting that brought him him face-to-face with his own boundaries. She wasn't a hookup, which turned out to be something else he found attractive about her.

Shit. He liked his life the way he had it. Affairs were like the city bus. There would be one along if he missed the first one. But he didn't want an affair. In fact, the idea alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

He needed a drink. Before he went back after her. Ben turned and made his way to the lavish bar laid out on the east side of the hangar. No expense had been spared. There was even an ice machine that melted chunks of ice into round balls that rolled around in the martini glasses like huge glass marbles.

One of the bartenders slid up in front of him, wearing a black vest and a name tag that bore the company name of a very upscale catering company.

Ben pointed to one of the whisky's, a very limited-production that retailed for more than eight-hundred dollars a bottle. "Neat," he instructed the bartender. The man shot him a grin as he opened the bottle and poured out a double.

Ben turned around with the glass in his hand. He lifted it and let the pungent scent fill his senses as he closed his eyes to clear his thoughts. But there was something else, too.

A hint of Rey still clinging to his fingers. He opened his eyes, finding her instantly, the delicate column of her neck catching his attention because she's swept her hair up. He wanted to pull every last pin out of it and father it in his hand. Bury his face in it and inhale the scent of her skin. Like had last night.

Ben took a sup of the whisky instead. He nursed the beverage, using it as an anchor to remain at the bar. He confined himself to women who made the first move because it removed the need for him to comfort them when they realized he wasn't here for the long haul.

He didn't like to mask who he was during sex. When he took home a woman who had stepped up to him, she didn't have any right to expect seduction. 


	5. Chapter 5

Rey needed to be seduced. He felt that truth all the way down to his bones. But all he felt like doing was running her to the ground. It was a hard, sharp impulse, just like the bite of the whisky in his hand. 

The DJ fired up the music. Finn swept his bride around the large dance floor with a confidence that earned him smoldering looks from the other women in the room. Hue Tico, Rose's father, finally cut in. The white-haired man was still barrel-chested and dressed in a Navy dress uniform.

Finn offered him his hand, but the other man shook his fist at his new son-in-law in a warning that sent a ripple of amusement through his guests. 

The father-daughter dance unleashed a soft round of applause as Hue glowed with pride while guiding his daughter around the floor. The moment the music changed, employees of Alexander eagerly floored to join their boss and make sure they were noticed.

Ben chuckled and drew another sip from his whisky. Finn didn't give a damn about who had laid out the money to flip up to his wedding reception. In fact, the reason it was being held in New York was because Finn didn't care much for schmoozers. His employees were rated on their performance in the workplace. 

Hue swept Rey into a dance but abandoned her when the tempo changed. Harry Styles husky voice rang out "Adore You," sending most of the brownnosing crowd toward their chairs.

Finn held his hands up in surrender when Rose grabbed the front of her long gown and stepped to the beat. She turned around and Rey joined her. Ben's whisky ended up forgotten in his hand. 

He was fixated on Rey. She moved with a sensuality that struck him like a bow to the solar plexus. Every motion was an expression of hunger. Sexual hunger. She dominated the floor, daring any man in the room to try matching her. It was raw and savaged. 

One of Finn's younger VPs slid up to her, and she tossed her head back. The poor fool didn't know he was already defeated. Rey's body language was already dismissing him as he slid around him and rejoined the girls group that had formed around Rose. Her ignored dance partner didn't give up. 

He kept dancing, moving around the group of women until one of them broke off with him. Rey didn't give him a second glance. But she did catch Ben watching her.

She arched and turned the music still pulsing through her body as her motions changed. It was almost indiscernible, the thrust of her hips and the arch of her back, as she pushed her breasts out. He noticed.

Would have sworn he felt it yanking him towards her. Daring him to try his hand at winning her. Desire surged past the barrier he kept his sexual encounters pinned behind.

He set the whisky down, uninterested in dulling his wits any longer. No, what he wanted was a different sort of mind-numbing experience. He wanted his sense sharp when he connected with her, wanted to notice every detail of their collision.

It went deeper than desire, bordering on caving. That gave him a moment of pause, a red flag going up. He liked having his partners sealed behind a wall of friendly indifference that could be used to shut them out of his thoughts when he wasn't in the mood for them in the first place.

But his cravings and desires for Rey Kenobi were already past that boundary. Far past it. And he always went after whatever he wanted. 

Sweat was trickling down her back and the sides of her face, but Rey didn't care. She turned her back on Ben and focused on the music. The DJ kept the tempo lively for several more songs. She threw herself into dancing, enjoying the high it gave her. Her heart was pounding, her blood rushing in her ears, and it was almost enough to drown out the feeling of Ben's eyes on her.

_Almost...._

The lights changed as the DJ slowed the tempo. Rose abandoned her group, her face bright with perspiration. She rustled off in a flutter of cream and lace. Rey turned and headed toward one of the glasses of ice water set out on the tables. 

Ben intercepted her, turning her nearly into his embrace with a fluid motion that stole her very breath.

One moment she was confidently striding toward the edge of the floor, and the next his arms were closed around her. Captured and enslaved.....

"So..." She ended up with her hands flattened on his chest as he turned her a few more times to keep her pinned. It was done so damned smoothly that she found herself as impressed as she was annoyed. "Is this your dance then?" 

Her tone had turned sultry, almost like a cat purr. and he did feel just as delicious as she'd felt the night before.

"Didn't you know? Dancing with the maid of honor is one of the best man's duties." He smoothed hi hand along her lower back, unleashing a torrent of sensation. " _My_ dance."

She twisted away from him, unable to quell the impulse. It was just a dance. She should have been able to maintain her composure, but it crumbled like a sand castle at high tide against the sound of possession in his deep voice.

She was trembling, instantly vulnerable and on edge. Ben guided her back, sliding his hand along her lower back with a motion that made her suck her breath in.

There was far more arrogance in him; there was a hard presence of dominance. What bothered her most was how it sent anticipation surging through her. She wanted to bare her teeth at him.

She needed to get out of his arms before she didn't something impulsive ands stupid....again. 

"We've already passed the ceremonial dances part of the event." She pressed against his chest, making it very clear that she wanted to be released. "So....thanks..."

Ben's lips twitched, rising into a grin that was far from friendly. "No bother at all. In fact---" his eyes glittered with promise--"I'm enjoying myself immensely. But not as much as last night."

Her mouth went dry. There was something about him, something that made her feel like she was poised on the edge of a cliff. He was like a live wire, and the need to scoot back was so overwhelming that she shook with it. 

He was just so hard. His body was big and immovable, and the way he turned her around the floor was downright intimidating because it curled her toes. He knew to much about how to use his brawn, too much about how to touch her and sent her thoughts scattering. She trembled again, fighting the urge to draw her fingertips down his chest.

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_

Her self-control was dissolving, dropping her on her butt and leaving her at the mercy of her impulses. That idea dragged her down into the failure of her marriage. 

It was a churning pit of impulses that had cost her dearly when she trusted a man enough to let him into her bed. She wrenched out of Ben's arms, feeling the parting too damned much, but she shook her head and left. 

Two couples looked up as she nearly bolted from the center of the floor where Ben had taken her. The tent was too damned hot, so she made her way out of one of the huge doorways that was wide enough for a Hummer to fit through and walked toward the far corner. 

Only after she turned the corner and left the doorways out of sight did she finally stop. She closed her eyes and forced herself to perform a breathing routine she'd learned in martial arts.

Her heart slowed, her respiration coming back down into a normal rhythm. _Breathe Rey, just breathe....._

* * *

When she opened her eyes, the great expanse of natural wonder didn't impress her. She was still fighting for control, fending off the attraction that Ben unleashed in her. She ordered herself to ignore it, but her body was still trembling from his touch.

Her blood was hot, her nipples hard; and every bit of self-discipline she'd learned from Master Yoda was nowhere in sight. 

"Finn wasn't pulling my leg when he said that your ex was a total prick."

Rey jumped, a startled sound escaping her lips and whipped around to discover Ben there feet from her. Her eyes widened, shock filtering through the haze of arousal fogging her brain. 

"He had no fucking business telling you anything about me," she said. Her tempt was nowhere to be found, leaving her sounding like a lost little girl. 

Which sure as hell didn't mix well with the way she was fighting the urge to look at his lips. God, they look so tasty---good enough to eat, to lick, to touch against her own.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "So you'd prefer that I just feel like a total dick when you take off in the middle of a dance, insinuating to everyone watching that I can't be a gentleman at my best friend's own wedding?"

Shame threatened to choke her as she realized how her exit must have looked. Heat teased her cheeks but she lifted her chin, realizing that it was time to face off with him before she lost any more of her wits.

"Ben, we already agreed---"

"Agreed?" he cut in, stepping toward her. "No, honey, we didn't agree on anything."

He was pressing her. She felt him as much as she heard or saw him. Every muscle she had taunt or quivering. "I made my feelings about this very clear to you."

"I must have heard differently, then, because as I understand it, you made it clear that you're afraid to face that ghost. You were just as interested as I was last night."

Her mouth dropped open. "Are you going to double-dog dare me next, Solo?"

His eyes glittered with hard enjoyment. "Maybe, who knows."

He closed the gap between them again, but she was too stubborn to heed the warning bell urging her to retreat. Like hell she'd back away from him. "I think we're both a little too old for these petty schoolyard games, don't you?"

"Agreed. I'm interested in playing more adult games with you." He loomed over her. "You're attracted to me, Rey, but it scares you."

"I'm _not_ afraid of you."

"Yet your actions tell me another story completely," he fired back, relentless.

She drew herself up and planted herself firmly. "Not trusting myself isn't the same as being afraid of--"

She immediately snapped her mouth shit when she realized how exposing her words were. _Damn it, Rey, why can't you learn just to keep your big, fat mouth shut?! Damn you!_

"Trust takes time," Ben reached out and cupped her elbow.

She would have wrenched away from him, but his hold was soft and nonthreatening. Undermining. Like it had been the night before. She had no defense against tenderness. Not even the desire to resist. And it sent a shiver down her back.

"And courage." His tone was deep and husky. 

The ripple sensation stunned her. Somehow, she hadn't realized how lonely she actually felt, how much she yearned for human contact. She hesitated, held spellbound for a moment; granting him enough time to smooth his hand around her elbow and along her lower arm before sliding his fingers along hers and releasing her.

He tightened his fingers into a fists and forced it into his suit jacket pocket. He concealed his thoughts well, but she still saw the tiny signs of strain at the corners of his eyes.

He wanted to pull her towards him. But he didn't, and that left her open to a new sensation, one she hadn't felt in a very long time. _Trust...._

Just a hint of it really, but she rolled her lower lip and set her teeth into it as she contemplated the restraint he was employing. "I shouldn't have stomped off the dance floor," she offered softly.

He growled softly. "I didn't follow you out here for an apology."

The sun had set and the wind suddenly gusted, raising goose bumps along her bare arms---even in the middle of the summer heat. "So why did you? It isn't like you'd find it hard to hook up with someone else here."

She shouldn't have asked, shouldn't have laid herself open so completely. And yet, she had. _Big mistake, Rey. Big, fat, huge mistake!_

"Because I like having you against me."

* * *

She'd know he'd say something like that. It was like a secret hope, one that sent a jolt of enjoyment through her, but slammed into the wall of her fears had built. 

"And I think you liked being against me, too."

Hard certainty flickered in his eyes, driving that bolt of enjoyment into the wall a few more inches. She fingered the fabric of her skirt as she fought the urge to reach for him but at the same time, enthralled with the effect he had on her reservations.

He was so tempting until she remembered that she wasn't ever doing a long-term relationship ever again.

"In case you've forgotten, Rose is my best friend, too, so let's just leave each other alone before things get tense and awkward, okay?"

His eyes narrowed. "I don't get tense over relationships."

She found herself recovering her poise. "And there's my point. If I'd accused you of being the playboy type a moment ago, you'd just call me judgmental."

He offered a lazy shrug. "True, true. I can't deny that and I won't."

He reached out and captured her wrist. Before she finished deciding if she was going to let him keep hold of her, he'd stroked the delicate skin of her inner wrist with his thumb and sent a ripple of awareness across her skin that made her nipples pucker.

"But you can't deny that there's a charge between us."

There sure was. _Playing with fire...._

But it was intoxicating in a manner she'd never encountered before. She really questioned if she was tossing away a prime opportunity to get it dealt with. No strings attached, and a pistol like Ben might be the perfect remedy for her trust issues.

"We're not going to connect on anything," She twisted her wrist and dropped it on the other side of his hand to break his grip and held a finger up to keep him back while she finished her thoughts. "Because I would be using you to cross a line item off my to-be-dealt-with list. And I _don't_ use people."

His eyes narrowed at his lips thinned. "Parts of me would really enjoy being used by you...but your point is valid." He nodded and forced himself to step back a pace. "You should get some...therapy...."

She offered him a dry laugh. "I don't need therapy because I'm not interested in a fling with you. It's called maintaining the integrity of my soul or what's left of it, that is."

"You're interested in me and that scares the hell out of you," he countered ruthlessly. "That's why you need therapy. You're being a total bitch now because I called it on the money."

He saw too much. And she _was_ being a total bitch. "I've had some, thank you very much, smart-ass. Court ordered, no less." She felt like her emotions were draining her. "It was just another way Hux was able to ensure that I did what he wanted. Just another hold struck in the fine print of our divorce papers. So public, but such a private little stab too. No freedom until I performed one final act of obedience." 

"What a total prick."

There was venom in his tone. It surprised her and nurtured the little spark of trust taking root inside her. He looked sincere, but she couldn't afford to let her budding feelings for him grow.

"Yea, but that's over and done with now.”

Ben watched the way Rey tightened her features and looked away from his face. He really didn't need to get involved. But leaving felt like quitting. That was something he never did. 

"It won't be over until you pull that weed out by the root," he informed her. "That's how that ghost maintains its grip."

She started to shake her head. "This isn't really any of your concern, Ben." 

He stepped into her path when she tried to make a getaway. "Or maybe I should have said, it won't be over until you find the courage to face your inner demons."

Her eyes widened in surprise before her temper flickered om her eyes. "Well, like I already said, neither of us needs the tensions that hooking up will create."

"You mean, the way you that blush when you look at me, Rey?” He shrugged and watched the way her gaze lowered to this shoulders. "Am I the first man who's excited you since you left the prick? Or am I just the first one who's made it past your defense system?"

"You don't---" She bit back the lie, a hint of disgust surfacing in her expression. "My sex drive works just fine, thank you so much for asking."

He offered her a raised eyebrow. "You're good at it, the whole brushing-me-off, thing." 

"How the hell would you know?" she questioned. "You don't look like a man who gets told 'no' very often in anything that you do, sex related or not." 

He chuckled. "Thanks for noticing."

"Can you even name the last five partners you had?" she asked. 

Ben locked gazes with her. "And now you're back to being a bitch to get me to shove off."

"Maybe I am a bitch."

He studied her face for a long moment before shaking his head. "No, your not. I know my fair share of them." 

She drew in a deep breath. "My point exactly. But just in case you don't get what I'm saying to you, I'm not interested in joining your list of friends with benefits. I know what it's like to be used, and I won't do it do someone else. Even if you're willing."

Surprise flashed through him and unleashed a wave of need that shocked him with its intensity. "Tell me that you don't want to touch me ever again and I'll walk away."

She'd crossed her arms over her chest. She gripped her own biceps, her fingertips pressing into the skin. There was a flash of guilt in her eyes, a hint of fear over being unmasked, which sent a jolt of excitement through him. 

"I want the same thing you do, Rey."

"Yeah, I got the message when you pinched my butt the other night, Ben," she responded in a dry tone.

"I cupped it, actually." He withdrew his hand from his pocket and mimicked a little pat. "Only a boy thinks a girl likes to be pinched on her ass, sweetheart. I’m a man, I know how to touch a woman."

"Have much experience with that, have you?" Her face turned scarlet as she said the words. 

But the tip of her tongue appeared and swept across her lower lip. He stepped toward her and had to force himself to stop when her expression become guarded. "Touch me, Rey."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

He crooked his finger, beckoning her forward. "Come over here, right now, and finish what we started last night..." He laid his hands on his chest for a moment. "Do what you felt impulsed to do, and don't let that prick keep the real you bottled up any more."

"I've already told you, I'm not interested in doing anything about what I feel for you." She shook her head. "Why would I? Your ideas are clearly very different than mine when it comes to relationships. I'm a complication you don't want any more than I want to be disappointed in myself by how I treat you."

"And yet still, I followed you out here." Determination edge in his words.

"All that proves is that you like getting what you want," Rey countered, doing her best to recall exactly why using him was something she wanted to avoid like the plague.

"You really think that I had to follow you to get it?" 

It wasn't really the tone of his voice, just the way his features sharpened with confidence. He knew his effect on women and enjoyed repealing the benefits. 

"Thank you much, Solo, for confirming what I thought about you the first time we met."


	6. Chapter 6

She went to step past him, but he moved into her path. "And what was that, Rey?"

"That you are very successful and accustomed to being in control." She sighed and held up her hand when he started to speak. "It's nothing personal, Ben. I just don't go for the controlling type." 

His eyes narrowed, but his lips lifted just a bit at the corners. "The hell you don't. That little puppy dog that tried his at impressing you on the dance floor didn't even have a prayer, because you need someone who is going to impress you before you yield."

"You sound like a total fucking caveman."

He reached out and clasped her nape, curling his hand around her slender column of her neck and pressing with his fingers into those points of tension she seemed to always have. He gave her just a taste of his strength, enough to unleash a flood of heat before he released her.

He chuckled softly when she averted her gaze to keep him from seeing what she felt. "What's wrong, Rey? Don't know what to do when there's no way for you to divert your attention away from how I affect you?"

 _Exactly._ She was forced to admit there was a lot of truth in what he was saying to her in this moment.

"Ben, this is just going to get messy."

"You don't trust a confident man, but there is no way you'd surrender to one who wasn't confident." His voice hardened. "Your ex is succeeding in getting you to build your own personal prison." 

_Was that true?_ She absolutely hated the fact that it might be. He reached out again. Doing it slowly, testing her nerve. She felt the distance between them closing, everything slowing down as he became immersed in the deep in the sharp sensation of anticipation. 

But she didn't pull back. She locked gazes with him. "You might be right."

"And you don't like that?"

"No." She stepped closer to him. "Let's see if it was midnight moon madness last night."

All of her senses were heightened, her skin ultrasensitive when he brushed the surface of her cheek with his fingertips. She shivered, her eyes slipping closed as she savored the connection between them.

For just a moment, time froze and she allowed herself to enjoy the contact. Oh yes, she had forgotten how good it felt to be touched. _Decadent...._

She opened her eyes when she realized she'd never enjoyed a man's touch as much as she did with him. This was more intense and far more likely to explode.

"You're fire, Ben. You'll _burn_ me." She shook her head, intending to sever the connection between their gazes, bit he slid his hand into her hair, rubbing across her scalp before he closed the distance between them and tightened his fist in her hair. 

"I could make the same accusation against you, and you're wrong, Rey. I'd _burn_ along with you." His eyes glittered with need. "I haven't stopped thinking about kissing you again."

She gasped, the sight of him on the edge driving her closer to it herself. He leaned down and captured the sound with his lips. It wasn't a hard kiss. She could have pulled away from a hard, possessive claiming of her lips. Ben started with soft pressure that stole her breath. It might have been slow, but he stilled pressed his mouth against hers with all the solid confidence she'd accused him of.

It was there was in the way he slid his lips across hers. Once, twice, and then a third before he teased her lower lip with a soft lick. Everything except the connection between them ceased to register. 

She reached for him, smoothing her hands down the cotton of his shirt. She dipped her fingers beneath the amber-tie, determined to get closer to his skin. 

She could smell him. That musky scent that turned her on as much as the way he stroked her tongue with his. It was masterful and arrogant, and excitement tore through her like a bolt of lightning and left a burning trail behind in it's wake. 

She twisted towards him, straining upward so that she could kiss him. The hold on her nape changed, tightening as he growled deeply. He curled his other arm around her, binding her against his body as she reached for his hair and pulled his head closer against her own. 

The kiss became demanding and hard. He pulled her right off her feet and pressed her up against the wall of the building. He reached down, sliding his hand across the curve of one side of her bottom and further down to her thigh. Heat roared through her, her heart pounding as her clit began to ache. The need to press against him was so intense that she never protested when he pulled her thigh up to allow him to grind against her mound. 

He hissed, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her skirt and discovering that one strap from her garter belt was the only thing to keep his hand off her bare skin. 

She shivered, his skin connecting with hers like a clap of thunder. She jerked her head back, unbearable conscious of how exposed she was. Only a thin triangle of silk covered her sex, just inches from his fingers now.

She was on edge, completely exposed. Frantic with the need for more. More of him. "We need to get a room... _.now,_ " he growled next to her near. She felt the words as much as she heard them.

He stepped back, allowing the air to slam into her. It was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over her head. She struggled against the horror of what she'd allowed herself to do, blinking as she took in the hunger edging his features and sharpening them. 

Someone laughed nearby and the click of heels against concrete made it though to her at last. Acute embarrassment mixed with the sexual-craving tearing up her insides.

"No....no...."

He reversed course instantly, turning to face her and flattening his hands on either side of her head. His eyes narrowed to slits as he drew in a deep breath and held it before opening his eyes to display a glitter that made her mouth go completely cry.

"I can smell your heat, Rey....I want to taste you....every square inch of you..."

His voice was raspy and raw, promising her a hard ride. But it was the possessive gleam in his eyes that made her shake her head. He slipped his hand around the curve of her hip and drew her against him, making sure that she felt every hard inch of his erection. Her passage quivered, tightening with need so acute that she groaned.

God, she wanted him....so damned much that it hurt. She ducked under his arm and came up a few paces from him.

She really hadn't escaped, and that knowledge, mixed with the raging need inside her, made her wonder if trusting him was such a terrible thing after all.

"Go find someone else, Ben" It was the kindest, politest thing she could manage. Brushing him off completely felt overly harsh when she knew damned well she was the one with trust issues. "Because you're right. I have unresolved issues." 

She turned and walked away. Her confession rung loud in her ears, but a little ripple of relief went through her too. There! She'd said it. Finally admitted it out loud for all the world to hear.

Ben might not be the best choice of confidant, but he'd been the one to insist on pressing against her comfort zone. Hell, the man pressed her buttons better than anyone ever had. It was as irritating as it was impressive. She felt wrung out, her emotions raw. As she rounded the corner of the building, the music from the reception became louder.

A few people stood just outside the tent, enjoying a smoke. They glanced away and her cheeks reddened as she fought the urge to turn and look behind her. 

Yeah, Ben Solo was good at pressing into comfort zones. She'd bet he was damned good at shattering every last illusion she might have about what great sex was or could be. The way he moved, kissed and touched her screamed out his experience level at bedroom games. 

* * *

He'd be the fire and she'd be putty in his hands. It had to account for the way she reacted towards him. That was also why she needed to put as much space between them as possible. 

But at least she wouldn't have any problem doing that. Once the wedding was over, she had a tour of New York to enjoy. Ben Solo would go back to running his upscale restaurant and no doubt find someone less complicated to spend his time with. Maybe even _several_ someone's. 

That thought gave her enough poise to restore some of her composure. Besides, rich men didn't sleep alone unless they wanted to. Even if they didn't come in the mouthwatering type of package Ben did. She slipped into the tent and headed towards the ladies' room to check on her lipstick. That was all. Just a reaction to his rather impressive skill level.

Rationalizing always broke down extreme feelings. At least for her it did. Taking solace in logic might be cold, but she was far less likely to end up in the sort of disaster her marriage had been. 

The wedding reception was in fully swing when Ben reentered the tent fifteen minutes after Rey had disappeared. The cake had been cut and was being delivered to the tables.

Finn had retreated to the bar and scowled at Ben when he joined him there. "Some wingman you are," Finn growled. 

But he frowned and narrowed his eyes as he stared at his best friend. The look he was giving him was that of, _"what the hell did you do now, you chump?"_ and Ben merely shrugged.

"You know that's not a good shade of lipstick for you, Ben."

Ben then reached for a napkin and wiped it away from the corner of his lips. "It _tasted_ good all the same."

Finn took a sip of his whisky while brooding. Ben signaled the bartender and soon found himself nursing his own drink. It wasn't what he wanted. He wanted the taste of a woman's flesh on his tongue---one woman in particular. 

Hard, blunt, but honest. His gaze searched the crowd until he found Rey again. The bridesmaid dress was reserved enough in design, but all he saw was the way it flowed over her curves, fluttering and settling against her body to give him a tantalizing glimpse of what her thighs looked like, then swishing and shimmering and hiding what he craved from her most.

He got a glimpse of a trim ankle and a brief side look at one mouthwatering breast before Finn chuckled and distracted him.

"Don't be so amused, Finn." Ben warned.

Finn set his drink down, shaking his head repeatedly. "Believe me, there is nothing on this planet that could keep me from enjoying the sight of you right now. Payback's a _real_ bitch, isn't it, my friend?"

Ben smiled and let out a word under his breath. His grin covered the fact that he was telling Finn to go fuck himself in the middle of a wedding reception.

"Unlike you, my bed is currently occupied," Finn answered. "But I am rather curious what your next move is going to be. She's not going to make herself available to you, Ben. Just accept it and move on."

"Actually..." Ben's voice trailed off as he contemplated Rey and the way she'd turned her back on him. "I think it's time for me to do a sight check on your apartment." He tossed the last of his whisky back and set the empty glass down. "I wouldn't want you to think I let your wife's best friend stay in questionable accommodations while she's om her vacation."

"Oh, of course not." Finn narrowed his eyes. "But if all you're interested in is fun, you need to find another toy to play with. She's practically family now."

It might not have been the most logical of decisions, especially with Finn's warning, but Ben felt a burning in his gut that he knew all too well. It was a feeling he trusted, one he'd followed in business, and he'd been rewarded with success for doing so.

He wasn't finished with Rey Kenobi. Leaving her behind would be a terrible, god-awful mistake for him to make. Ben's grandmother walked right across the crowded dance floor. 

She was all five feet tall with long, gray braids. She had plump cheeks and wrinkles around her eyes when she smiled. The guests parted, making way. It might have been because of the way age and wisdom seemed to radiate off her, or it could have been the ceremonial gown she was wearing. 

Rey found herself mesmerized by the sight, time suddenly blurring as the old woman took the wedding celebration back to traditions that had stood the test of time. She looked frail but latched on to Rey's hand with a strength that was surprising. 

She pulled Rey off the dance floor and right back to Ben's side. She had to be the only living soul on the planet who could have accomplished it, too. 

A pleased glimmer appeared in her brown-eyes as her lips set into a very satisfied grin. She started chatter to her grandson in a completely different langue that Rey could not make out. Was it German? Was it Welsh? Who knew?

Rey's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I seem to recall your grandmother speaking English this morning."

The old woman smiled so widely that her eyes ended up nothing but slits in her face. Rey got the sneaking suspicion that Ben had learned a lot from his grandmother. 

Ben lifted his hands in surrender when his grandmother looked back at him. "I'm not arguing with an elder. Especially, not my own grandmother. She wants me to translate." 

Rey couldn't help but smile. Okay, the guy was presumptuous, arrogant, and pushy, but he respected his grandmother. That made him even more adorable. _Crap! Crap! Crap!_

"She said the sun is going down. She wants you to go get Rose an help her change into the dress." A younger girl stepped up and offered Rey a bundle. She laid it in Rey's arms as carefully as she would have an infant child. "That was her mother's dress," Ben explained. "Made by _her_ mother."

"Wow." Rey remarked, adjusting her hold to make sure she wasn't crushing the bundle. 

His grandmother nodded with approval and chattered some more. Ben listened before translating it again. "She also says to tell Rose that Finn is her son, no matter how he came to this world, so his bride will wear the dress from her family and that the English portion of the wedding is over, so she will speak German now."

Ah, so it was German after all. Rey nodded before turning and moving off towards Rose. Ben fell into step beside her. A quick glance to the side showed her the stiff set of his lips, but she took a second look when she noticed the flush darkening the skin of his neck. 

She choked on a laugh. Ben reached out and cupped her elbow. "Don't be a bitch," he warned in a low tone.

"What? And notice that your grandmother is a formidable woman? Or that you respect her?" She offered him a genuine smile. "That part won you points in my book."

He made a low sound under his breath. "She's also very nosy. I forgot just how little respect that she has for my privacy." 

Rey missed a step. "Are you saying that..."

"That she followed me outside....yes," he confirmed. 

Her mouth went dry. Ben suddenly laughed. "You blush."

"Well, it beats having no shame unlike you, Solo," she countered. 

"Whish is how you see me?"

"You're the one who wants to approach sex like a business merger." Why was the bloody warehouse so large? She picked up her pace. "I can't help it if your grandmother doesn't like your life-style choices."

"Did you know that fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce." His fingers tightened on her elbow. "You're a lawyer. You should know that."

They'd almost made it to the head table. Rey stopped and sent Ben a hard look. "That's an awfully crappy thing to say that your own best friend's wedding. It sounds to me like _you_ have your own trust issues that you need to work out."

"So stop throwing stones because I live in a glass house?" He made a low sound that resembled that of a growl.

"Apparently we do have some things in common," she replied without thinking. Once again, the conversation was flowing between them, feeling so natural that she didn't have the heart to stop. "Someone taught you to distrust relationships too. So you're a playboy and I'm a recluse, but we're both guilty of giving into our....what did you call them? Ghosts."


	7. Chapter 7

There was a flare of surprise of surprise in his brown eyes before she turned and moved toward Rose. Her friend looked up and one of the catering staff moved over to pull her chair back for her. There was a rustle of silk taffeta as she moved, and candlelight flickered on the surface of the pearl necklace fastened around her throat.

Deep-sea pearls and all perfectly matched. The single strand was worth a small fortune, at least. Rey was caught by the way Finn turned to look at Rose.

There was an unmistakable flash of heat in his eyes and a softening of his mouth that touched her heart. He was always are of where Rose was. Devotion wasn't something that could easily be faked. 

It was found in the way a person's gaze returned over and over to the object of their desire. Rey found herself looking back at Ben, only to feel herself locking gazes with his amber stare. She felt the connection as much as she saw it.

The room seemed to shift, the breath in her lungs freezing as her lips tingled. With memory? Or maybe with need. She didn't have enough brain power at her command to decide. He moved, reaching out to catch the bundle that was slipping out of her distracted hold.

"You know one good thing about those ghosts..." he whispered softly. "They lose their grip in the light of day."

Her mouth went dry as she shifted closer to him, completely on autopilot. His magnetism was drawing her forward and she was finished questioning why it was a bad idea. He muttered something else, low and almost savagely. There was a giggle from his cousin before Rey felt her face go up in flames. Ben's complexion darkened as his lips curled back to how her his clenched teeth. 

"Timing is everything..." he growled. 

He wanted to argue with her. She saw denial snap in his eyes. A soft bubble of amusement escaped from her lips before she realized it. His eyes narrowed to slits, his features tightening with a promise that sent a ripple of excitement through her.

"Challenge accepted." He turned her loose to offer Rose his hand.

Her friend took his hand, using it to steady herself as she descended the three steps that led to the raised dais the head table and been set on. _She had her fingers in the fire now..._

But she wasn't entirely sure she regretted it or not. Ben's cousin stood staring at her with dark eyes full of merriment. She was barely a teenager but just past childhood to spot attraction. The girl's lips split into a wife smile before she covered her mouth with her hand and giggled behind her fingers. 

Ben stiffened. He sent a stern look at the young girl, but she was unimpressed and just smiled brightly up at him. 

Rey tightened her hold on the dress and hurried after Rose, the giggle echoing inside her head as she fought the urge to join in. Leaving room didn't prove to be the escape she intended it to be, though. 

Rose barely waited until they'd made it into the office-turned-dressing-room before pegging Rey with questions.

"Did you really go outside with Ben?"

Rey set the bundle down on a desk ands sent Rose a withering look. "I went outside and he followed me."

"Did you kiss him?" Rose pulled her veil off and set it aside.

"Rose." Rey trued to sound ominous but ended up merely sounding wiped completely out. 

Her friend offered her no mercy of any kind. "You did! I knew it! I just knew it!"

"He started it," she groused and turned to help her friend out of her designed wedding gown. "Not me."

"Ummm..." He looks like that type. The kind who likes to start things, that is. Rose hummed before ducking into the bathroom and turning on the sink. "Rey, sweetheart, Ben Solo is just the sort of man you need to send Hux running straight for the hills."

"He'd shit a solid brick, and I don't mean out of fear either."

"That's the best part." Rose's head appeared round the doorway. "I hope the idea of you moving on burns a hole the size of Texas in him."

"I really don't need him thinking about me at all, Rose. Thanks." That was a can of worms she really didn't want to open.

Rose shrugged. "True. And also not true. He'd want you to remain true to him and he wouldn't care about your reasoning, just that you are still sleeping in your bed alone."

She disappeared, leaving Rey in blissful privacy as she faced the truth of her friend's words. Hux would love knowing how empty her bed was and had been since their divorce was finalized. But what did it say about her if she had sex for the sake of taking a stab at him?

That was worse than treating sex like a business merger. It made her petty. She sighed, feeling half-alive. 

"Be right out, it was hot on that dance floor," Rose called. 

Rey heard the bathroom door open and then close again. The water ran for a couple of minutes in the sink, giving her time to unwrap the bundle.

Inside was a beautiful elegant dress. The scent of rose pedals immediately rose from it as the fabric unfolded. There were tiny beads sewn in intricated patterns and long pieces of fringe. 

It was darkened by age but fabric had been light-colored on purpose. The darkening color only enhanced it, only give it a dignity at least equal to the designer wedding dress. 

"And another reason--" Rose appeared in only her underwear. 

Rey lifted the dress and shot her friend a hard look. "Let's get you married today."

Rose chuckled. "And miss the chance to prod you over your little encounter with Benjamin Solo? Never." Rose waited until the soft fabric slid over her head. "Although, the way you were captivated but him just now....I'd say it was nothing little. In fact, I think he rocked your world with that kiss."

"How much champagne have you had?"

Rey closed the back of the dress and reached over to where the white heels were still resting on the desk. They were newer, because Ben's grandmother had smaller feet than Rose. 

"Ha-ha, but nice try." Rose wrinkled her nose at her and held up one finger. "I didn't want to risk falling off the horse during my own wedding."

Rey pulled the pins out of her friend's hair and brushed it out so that it felt in soft waves to her shoulders. There was a soft tap on the door before the younger girl who had been following Ben's grandmother peeked inside. She smiled.

"My grandfather says come too. The sun is setting."

"Ready?" Rey asked.

Rose inspected her reflection before turning toward the door. "The question is, are you ready? Oh friend who is avoiding questions."

Rey just shook her head. "You're beating a dead horse."

"According to my reports, Ben did a good job of breathing life into you."

Rey groaned but Rose reached for the door and pulled it open. Her father was there, waiting in his dress uniform to escort her to the last ceremony of the day. He offered her his arm and proudly strolled back into the tent with Rose. 

The music had shifted a soft flute-and-drum song that was distinctly Enya related. Finn and Ben's family sat at the head table, smiling. The other guests had lined up at the other end of the tent. Finn stood, holding out his hand. His tux was gone, a buttoned down crisp white shirt, black slacks were in it's place.

Ben had changed as well and Rey discovered herself struck numb. Speechless, even. 

She was suddenly caught in a moment that had no time signature. They might have been standing there two hundred years before or any time in the future. All she knew was that she'd never felt as moved by any wedding before today. It was genuine and focused on the couple so completely that her eyes stung with unshed tears.

Finn moved closer and closer, his attention on Rose while the steady of Enya's angelic voice filled the room, the beat matched the rhythm of Rey's beating heart. Strength bled off him.

A husband's strength. "As family tradition goes, I give you a promise here and now that you are my life and love forever."

The intensity in the way Rose reached for him. Finn's dark eyes followed her every motion and his lips twitched, betraying his pleasure as she wrapped her hand around his. Ben let out a cheer, the rest of the family and his guests following in suit. 

A moment later, Finn turned to his bride and pulled her close, kissing her tenderly before they exited through the back end of the tent, out of sight. Whisked away on their journey together as husband and wife. It was breathtaking, romantic, beautiful. Simply beautiful. 

"Don't worry." 

Ben had moved closer to her while she was absorbed with watching the bridal couple depart. Awareness rippled through her. "Worry about what?"

"That your friend is heading for a primitive honeymoon. Rose has asked me to look after you while during your last couple of days in New York." A rich man and his resources. Ben reached out and cupped her elbow. "Why does that bother you?"

"I was just enjoying the simplicity of the moment, is all," she confessed. 

"You can't tell me that you don't enjoy all the comforts money can buy."

His tone hardened. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. She was on the verge of labeling him arrogant again, but there was something deeper in his eyes, something he was keeping hidden from her. His gaze lowered to her lips, settling on where her teeth were pressing into it.

Heat licked across her face and flowed down her body. "I don't care for the sense of entitlement that goes with it."

She turned and faced him, indulging herself for just a moment, letting herself soak up the raw power radiating from him. It was hard and distinctly male, touching part of her she'd thought stone-cold dead.

"You don't either," she decided. "And that's why you're unhappy."

He chuckled, the sound a clear warning. "Nothing could be further from the truth. I happen to love my life."

"No, I'm right, as right as you are about me." She cut him off. "You play the game, but it leaves something in you unsatisfied, so you go on chasing another ghost." 

His lips thinned and he reached out to cup her elbow. He stroked it, sending a shiver down her. "There will be nothing...unsatisfied between us, Rey. I promise you, nothing." 

Now there was promise....it was tempting. Really tempting. The raw pulse of need pounding through her sharp enough to make her hesitate. His copper eyes glistened was determination, making her breathless.

She shook her head and his grip tightened. "I've been a rich man's toy before. The trappings lose their shine rather quickly, but as you said, you don't have to go far to find company." She lifted her elbow and stepped back. "So I'm sure you'll never miss me." 

For sure, part of her was going to miss the charge he gave her. Withdrawal bit into her as she made her way towards the tent and escaped from her high heels. It promised to be the only merch that she was going to find.

* * *

Rey growled at her alarm clock when it began chirping. But if she were being honest, it was a relief to be awakened by something other than thoughts of Ben. Her mind insisted on playing back every touch, every ripple of sensation, until she was ready to scream at the top of her lungs. 

She had even tried practicing her tae kwon forms in an attempt to clear her head. Nothing seemed to work. Not even the blaring sounds of the early morning traffic down below. 

She rolled out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. Hot water made a huge difference on her outlook. By the time she’d dressed and applied a light coat of make up, she was grinning. Her New York adventure was about to get under way. 

She zipped up her toilette bag and stuffed it into her suitcase. The apartment were quiet, the double doors to the master suite open for once, because Finn and Rose had taken off on their honeymoon the night before.

An apartment felt different when it was empty. Like it wasn’t really whole. Within an hour she was heading to one of the many private jets Finn Alexander owned.

The sleek aircraft seated eight and even had a steward who served her breakfast once they took off. She peered out of the window, enjoying the view of New York. After a while, she dug her travel book out of her bag and studied her infinitary. Aldrich Mansion, Rhode Island, relaxation and a tour of the summer gardens. If she was lucky, she'd get the vacation of a lifetime. Finally, she thought---a _real_ vacation.

The small plane circled before coming to a perfect landing near a majestic house. When Rey disembarked and stepped onto the gravel, she was disappointed to see that gray clouds began to hover overhead.

"Don't worry, Ms. Kenobi, the sun will come back out," one of the chauffeur's remarked from where he stood beside a small, off-road type of gold cart. He had on a pressed green and white shirt with "Aldrich Mansion" embroidered on the breast pocket. "Everything is still on schedule, nothing to worry about."

The steward delivered Rey's bag and offered her a two-finger salute. Climbing into the cart, Rey enjoyed the sting of the slightly cooler weather against her cheeks. They rounded a bend and she gasped with delight.

The Aldrich Mansion was even better than the pictures in the brochure she had seen. It was built to look like a colonial house, with stone forming the front and a roof that rose into a sharp A-game. The building also had a ocean of green grass and large picture windows. Off to the far right was a huge viewing area with padded seating and fire pits next to a large swimming pool. 

Wings of rooms stretched out on either side of front, and wildflowers grew all over the property. "The penthouse suite has been reserved just for you." 

The man drove right up the front steps before putting the golf cart in park and hopping out. A uniformed doorman was already pulling Rey's luggage from the cart. "This way, Ms. Kenobi...."

The interior was grand. There was a huge, glass-enclosed fireplace in the center of the lobby. Off to the right was a grand dining-room, the sound of dishes clinking and the scent of food drifting out to tease her nose.

There was a desk where a receptionist came striding up to welcome her and show her to her room. The penthouse suite was everything she'd expected. There was a sitting room, and beyond a doorway were the master bedroom and bath. All the furnishings were just a bit rustic, giving the place a frontier feel. Yet it didn't lack for modern amenities. 

Every detail had been double-checked, and the small fireplace in the sitting room was on, even with the private patio doors open to let it in the fresh summer air. 

But she was drawn to the valet stand in the bedroom. A honey-colored dress, flats, and everything else were laid out on it. An envelope was sitting on a polished wood tray in front of it. She broke the seal and pulled the card out of it. 

_Please find everything needed for an stroll out on the gardens. I will meet you as soon as you are ready._

She smiled and even squealed, though she had absolutely no idea as to who she would be meeting. Maybe Rose had insisted someone within her husband's company stay and give her an grand tour of the place while they were on their honeymoon. Tossing the card away, she stripped so that she could slip into her dress. 

It rustled as she put it on, feeling like silk against her skin. The flats fit perfectly. Ready to leave, she folded the cardigan she had brought along with her over her arm and headed out of the suite. 

"I do hope your room is to your liking, Ms. Kenobi?" A nearby maid asked her, curtsying slightly as Rey passed. 

"I love it, thank you." 

A tiny ripple of relief crossed the maid's face. "First time in New York, ma'am?"

"Yes, it is." 

"Well, I do hope that you enjoy your stay here at Aldrich Mansion, miss. I must be going now." said the maid. However, just before she turned to resume her cleaning duties, Rey told her briefly that she was asked to meet someone in the gardens.

The maid nodded and told her exactly the route to get there. Rey followed her instructions, turning left, then right, down a flight of steps, then right again until she reached the back patio where all the doors were open, blowing the silk white curtains in the summer breeze. 

"You look stunning."

A ripple of sudden awareness went through her like lightning. She turned and stared straight into the amber eyes she'd spent a lot of time trying to banish from her dreams. Ben stood there, but what claimed her attention was the way the same maid who had just addressed her, nodded to him. 

"Wait a second," Rey began in a hesitant voice. "You own the mansion?" It was a flat statement.

"Finn would never book you a room in a questionable resort. Trust me, there are plenty of those in New York."

There was a glint in his eyes that made her shiver. She wasn't entirely sure whether it was caused by appreciation or apprehension. "I'll give you points for your extreme setup, Ben. I must admit, I never saw it coming."

But she should have. Rich men stayed rich by knowing one another's weaknesses. That's really all a fascination with a woman was in Ben's world. A weakness. She found herself battling the way he made her question her resolve.

"Praise from the lady at last." He performed a mocking bow before taking her hand and leading her out onto the patio area. 

Rey shivered despite the summer weather. There was something about the way he touched her. It sent an chill of excitement throughout her entire body, igniting her fire, burning her alive.

"To be honest, I thought you'd be a tad more prickly about my presence."

"You think that I'm a sore loser, huh?" 

"You said it, not me, Solo."

"Glad to be schooled." 

She snorted. "I don't think that you get schooled very often."

He flashed her a grin. "You can have special tutoring privilege's any time, if you'd like." 

"Oh yeah?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

His eyes narrowed. "I think I might enjoy seeing you in a prim and proper schoolmarm suit, tight pantyhose, a cute little buttoned up sweater...peering over me at the rim of your glasses, wooden ruler in hand."

He tightened his arm around her, and she turned her head away so that he wouldn't see her amused smile. For a moment, she just enjoyed the embrace. Crap! It had been a really long time since anyone had held her close. Okay, since she'd allowed anyone to hold her.

He lifted his right hand and pointed ahead of them. "There's the gardens." A woman wearing a classy uniform then approached in all smiles towards them. "This is Jyn. She's oversees all outdoor production here. She's going to give us the grand tour."

The girl had flawless pale skin and bright blue eyes, but her overall personality was friendly as she grinned at us and offered her hand. Rey started to follow Jyn, but turned back to look at Ben. He caught her stare and grinned. But it wasn't the carefree expression he'd shot her when she'd shown up at the mansion. This one was pure determination. 

"Sounds fun," said Rey softly.

"And then we're having dinner afterwards," Ben added, his lips curving upwards into a smile. 

"Oh we are, are we?" 

"Why, were you planning to skip out on a good homecooked meal and stay locked away in your bedroom for the rest of the night, ignoring me?" he continued to tease her. 

"I never said anything of the sort, Solo. You assumed, like always."

He winked at her. "So does that mean you'll have dinner with me this evening?"

A warning bell was trying to sound, but it was hard to hear with his body heat surrounding her. "And if I do say no? What are you going to do about it?"

His eyes glittered with such promise. Even hope. "Then Jyn will end up getting an eyeful when I kiss you right here." 

"Okay, fine, I'll have dinner with you," she answered, a little too quickly. "but no promise of a kiss." 

"Well, I can promise you that there will be both," he said, stepping ahead to enter the garden and leaving Rey alone with Jyn. 

"You've got a one-track mind, Solo," she called out after him."

He turned and fixed her with a knowing look. One that warmed her cheeks and kept them stinging on the walk through the gardens, where she barely paid any attention to Jyn as she talked about the history of the place. But honestly, she didn't really dread the coming evening. The truth was, she was really looking forward to it. 


	8. Chapter 8

Her legs felt like Jell-O when she stepped out of the shower back in her room at the mansion. Jyn gained a huge amount of respect in her book as Rey rummaged through her travel bag looking for some fragrance. It had been so worth it take a grand-tour of the gardens as well as having a picnic down by the lake afterwards. 

Her New York adventure was a blast, and she had to admit that Ben was doing his part to make it unforgettable. Someone knocked on the door, so she made her way across the sitting room. 

"Good evening, Ms. Kenobi," a woman in a three-piece uniform greeted her. She pushed a rolling cart into the sitting room and transferred evening tea-service to the table.

Well, this is certainly a nice treat before dinner, and those tea-cakes look so delectable. _I could no sooner choose which one to sink my teeth into first, Rey thought as she stared at the rack, her mouth watering._

"Compliments of your host. You have a confirmed dinner reservation in the dinning room at six." Rey dug her wallet out of her purse, but the woman shook her head. "Every detail of your stay with us has been provided for. Please ring the desk or use the touch pad if you'd like anything else."

The woman made for the door and disappeared quietly. Rey moved closer to the table to inspect what had been delivered. The plate was almost too beautiful to disturb by eating from it. Small slices of cheese and fruits were artfully arranged below the tea-cake rack. 

They were so delicate that she snapped a picture with her cell-phone to preserve the image forever.

"You've got style, Ben Solo. I'll give you that."

For just a moment she felt a tingle of apprehension on the nape of her neck. Every little luxury could become a bar in a lavish cage. The perfect performing staff could transform into a network of spies that would make it impossible to breathe. _You're building your own prison...._

Ben's words rose up from her mind and snapped her back into the moment. She reached for the silver teapot that was also on the table and poured hot water into a delicate teacup. A selection of teas sat in a box alongside a small pot of honey and a miniature pitcher of fresh cream. Rey unwrapped a tea bag dropped it into he cup, and took it out onto the viewing patio.

She settled into the large, rocking love seat, smiling as she sunk into the thick cushion, and sipped her tea. She refused to notice how everything was built for two people.

She wouldn't notice it because she'd made her choice to be single. _But you do still feel Ben's kiss...._

She drew another sip from her tea, letting the hot liquid override her memory. Her choice. And she was completely happy with it. _Totally, fucking bull and shit...._

She took another sip and realized how easily Ben had become the ghost lurking in the depth of her thoughts. Well, at least that was a step forward. The real question here was: Would she let him kiss her after dinner had ended? 

Rey primped in front of the bathroom mirror. She was avoiding thinking about what she was doing. Going with the flow; letting herself enjoy the buzz of dressing up. _Hell, why not?_

God it felt good to think like that! She finished her makeup and loosened the soft dressing robe that had been hanging in the bathroom for her. 

The matching lingerie set she had on made her pause. She looked down at one of her garter straps, almost feeling the brush of Ben's fingers against her thighs. _Ghost._ Only this one was far more welcome than the specter of her ex-husband. 

Drawing in a deep breath, she walked over to where her dress was hanging. She tore off the plastic covering in which the pressing service had encased it and lifted the dress over her head. As overwhelming as Ben was, it was a huge relief to have memories of someone other than Hux. 

_You're enjoying the idea of seeing him again..._

Actually, she was, and she wasn't going to get her panties in a twist over it. Ben wasn't the only one who knew how to make an entrance. She was going to knock him off his stride tonight and enjoy every second of seeing him on edge for a change.

_Playing with fire...._

Yes. And it was high time too. The dress was an emerald green color, matching her hazel eyes, and settled just above her knees. She stepped into a pair of heels that clicked on the tile floor and reached into the closet to pull out a wrap in case she wanted to venture outside. The New York summer was packed with an evening chill. Maybe she'd get a proper look at the sunset. 

She tucked her room card into her bra and left her purse on the bedside table. No cell phone. Nope. She was on vacation. You're going on a date....

Date, vacation---there was no need to overthink the moment. Whatever emergencies were brewing in the lower 48 could be resolved without her tonight. She was working on her to be-dealt-with list.

She took her time walking downstairs, the scent of dinner teasing her nose before she arrived. The hallway was constructed to allow for an unobstructed view of the mansions grounds. 

She felt the low rumble of conversation coming from the dining room before she turned the last corner and arrived in the parlor room. "Good evening, Ms. Kenobi."

The way everyone knew her name was a little unnerving. Of course, she was a guest of the boss, so everyone would be betting on just how much influence she had with Ben. It wasn't much but no one would believe her if she claimed otherwise. The gentleman smiled and gestured her towards the main dining room. Instead of taking her into a spacious room, he led her past the floor-to-ceiling wine cellar to another more private dining area.

Large tables were set into secluded dining alcoves with velvet curtains that could be closed to provide privacy. There were also small, intimate tables.

"Please mind your step."

The man took a moment to point out the first step of a staircase with the help of a small flashlight. He led her up the stairs silently, the mark of a professional butler. The stairs took a right-hand turn and rose another floor.

Once she stepped onto the landing, the main dining area below and its sounds dissipated, leaving her immersed in the wide expanded of the private mansion surrounding her. Some sort of soft music was playing.

"The private dining room..."

The man gestured her forward but that wasn't really necessary. A table was set in a section of the room that overhung the viewing patio below. Floor-to-ceiling glass created a temperature controlled environment with a breathtaking view of the grounds below. 

"May I take your wrap?"

"Yes, thank you..." Rey surrendered the sheer garment as she moved closer to the tale. 

Another waiter had appeared while she was absorbing the grandeur of the view and now held her chair out. He reached for a wine bottle that was nestled in a silver bucket of ice and opened it, then poured a small measure into a glass for her approval. She swirled it once around the glass and inhaled before taking a sip.

"It's perfect."

He nodded before filling her glass and a second one. The waiter finished with a twist of the bottle to keep it from dripping and set it back into the bucket. He then disappeared quietly while she looked over her shoulder. 

There was a little swish as the doors slid shut, ensuring complete privacy. A chef was waiting beyond the glass doors to speak with the waiter. They conferred for several moments before the waiter disappeared. Rey turned back too look at the second wineglass. 

"Your neck is tight."

She didn't jump. Ben's voice washed over her and every muscle tightened. Her lips parted as her heart accelerated and she fought the urge to look behind her. She lost.

She did a double take, blinking as she drank in the sight of him. He was hot. And mouthwatering. The realization sunk all the way into her brain. Ben was watching her from beneath hooded eyes, gauging her reaction and looking like he was taking her apart like some sort of complex math equation. At least, she felt that vulnerable. 

She was tempted to label him intimidating, but the truth was it was her own failing that made her so susceptible to him.

There was some reaction brewing inside her on a cellular level that was reducing her to a bundle of responses that operated on a purely instinctual level. She noticed evert little detail about him. Like what he did for a suit should be bottled and sold.

The gray wool was loose to show how fit he really was, his tie the same color was his eyes. All of that rich fabric lay over him like wrapping paper made to be ripped away. 

He moved closer, his fingers brushing her nape. It was just a light touch at first, gauging her acceptance. She took another sip of wine and let him rub the tense muscles in her neck for a moment. He moved away and sat down at the table. She watched him, feeling completely on edge. She couldn't help but notice him smirk and he stared up at her from his seat.

"Admit it, you're impressed with me."

_Maybe...._

"I can always check out if you ever get too presumptuous, Solo," she countered softly.

One inky, dark eyebrow rose. "Only if you're willing to admit that you're too chicken to be in the same exact room with me." 

She taped her fingernail against the pristine tablecloth. "Touché," she admitted. "Even if I think you're a bit of a cad for voicing that thought."

"Cad?"" He picked up the folded napkin and gave it a snap before laying to gently across his lap. "I call it being persistent." 

"Hmmm....." She battled the urge to let her lips curl up with enjoyment. "Stalkers are persistent too, I hear." 

He tossed his head back, laughing. The column of his throat snagged her attention, and the desire to lick him flared to life. The doors behind them swished open. One waiter lit the candles on the table while two more delivered a starter to both Rey and Ben at precisely the same exact time. The waiters lifted the polished silver domes of the plates with a flourish before disappearing as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Don't I at least score some points for originality?" he asked.

Rey picked up her fork and considered the plate in front of her a long moment. "Only if I were interested in being the point of the game."

Ben was considering her over the rim of his wineglass. "You think that I'm playing, with you as the prize?" 

He was hiding behind a polished business demeanor, leaning back in the chair to give the illusion of being relaxed, but she could feel how sharp his attention was. The man was sizing her up. 

* * *

She lowered her fork. "I'm really not trying to be a bitch here. The afternoon tour was amazing, Ben."

"But you're still not sure what you think about me following you?" he clarified in a smooth tone that raised the hair on her nape in warning.

"I'm not sure what I think about the fact that I had a hell of a lot of fun with you this afternoon and that I put this dress on with you in mind. Because it's very possible that you hate getting the brush-off. You didn't build all of this by being a pushover."

He raised one dark eyebrow. "You kissed me back. Whatever you want to label my appearance, make sure that you allow for the fact that you're right. I don't get the brush-off very often, and if all I wanted was sex, I'd have gotten it somewhere else by now."

"Like I said before, I'm not sure what I think."

She reached for her wineglass, which she regretted once she had it in her fingers. Dulling her wits she wasn't a wise course of action. She had dressed for him. And she _had_ kissed him back. And dreamed about him....

She drew a slow sip of the dark liquid into her mouth before setting it aside. "The mansion is impressive." 

It really was, and she could see how much care and excellence had gone into it. That kind of quality could only come from the top. He finished and sat back, his lips rising into a wide grin.

"Thank you. Changing to a safe topic?"

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Forgive me. I thought you wanted to actual conversation with me." She pushed her chair back and stood, disappointed beyond measure. "As I told you at the wedding, I'm not interested in hooking up with you."

His gaze slid down her body. "Then tell me something, Rey. Why are your nipples hard?"

She stepped away from the table like it was on fire. "Screw you, Solo."

Her disappointment was transforming into full-out anger. Now he was just being a jerk---as if to live up to the very worst of her expectations.

"That is the main point of contention, isn't it? You want so bad to give into me, but it clashes with your perfect little ideas of what good girls do. So you label me as arrogant, when in fact, you don't want to face your own reaction."

"Facing it and jumping you before the salad as even arrived are two _very_ different things."

"Bullshit." He cut her off. "That's just an excuse for not being daring enough to take what you want from life."

"I love cupcakes too, you know, but I don't grab one and shove the entire damn thing in my mouth the moment I get a craving for them. It ruins the experience." 

His expression became carnal. There was a savage beauty to it that captivated her, hypnotized her.

"I think I could handle you shoving all of me in your pretty little mouth."

She pushed her chair back and turned her back on him, but there was a soft click and the balcony doors closed. It brought her up short, and she turned to find Ben dropping a small remote control into the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"You can't control this any better than I can." He stood up and came around the table. 

He had a prowl to the way he moved, something very uncivilized that sent fire to all her logical decisions. Choice seemed to be nothing but ashes now.

There was only stimulus and reaction. Honestly, she wasn't sure who was pinned in the room with whom. He might be fire, but she wanted tp consume him too. She took a deep breath and fought for a hold on her logic or what was left of it. 

"Just because I find you insanely attractive, Ben Solo doesn't meant that I'll cut straight to the "get naked" part." She faced off with him, needing to make her point. or stand her ground. Or something else that seemed impossible to name.

Maybe she just needed....him. He'd stepped a couple of feet in front of her and looked like she was trying to decide what to do with her about-face. Hell, she was trying to decide what to do. They shared at each other, her heart accelerating, his eyes narrowing. Each of them becoming more aware of the other with ever second.

"You have to stop running at some point." His voice had changed, deepening into something that struck her a genuine. 

"You don't know what you're talking about, Ben." She tried to deliver her bush-off softly, kindly, because it wasn't his fault he sent her sex drove into high heat. 

He gave her a shrug. "Maybe, maybe not because I'm guessing that I'm the first man who's kissed you since your divorce."

"Only because I want it that way."

She was such a lair. His eyes narrowed. "Really?"

There was a soft, seductive tone to his voice that sent a shiver down her spine. She'd never been so conscious of her body and the craving to have her pressed against her. 

"I really don't want to talk about my past, Ben." She took a step forward him. He stepped forward, following her to flatten her hand against his chest. She shuddered, feeling the connection down to her shoes. 

"Neither do I." He locked gazes with her. "Tell me that you've dreamed about me pressing against your body the way I dreamed of touching every inch of you." 

He cupped her chin, keeping their gazes locked. His amber eyes were full of hunger, the same sort of craving that had been gnawing at her since the wedding. 

"I...did." Her lips went dry. She swept her tongue over them and watched his eyes narrow and his mouth thin with hunger.

"Good."

He sealed her mouth beneath his. She almost pulled back but he followed, licking and sucking on her mouth as every inch of her body erupted into flames. It was so damn instantaneous. And she was everything that he craved. The hard body she'd dreamed about was beneath her fingertips. She slid her hand up his chest and felt it vibrate with a low growl.

He slipped his hand around her neck to cup her nape and keep her mouth beneath his. But she wasn't content to be kissed. She moved her hand all the way up and across the warm skin of his neck until she was able to threat her fingers through his air.

She wanted to hold him, control him, just as he was going to her. The kiss was a battle, a meeting and merging to their mouths as well as a collision. 

He pressed her lips wife, his tongue boldly thrusting into her mouth. She closed her lips around it and sucked, needing to taste him, desperate for him. She pulled on his tie, loosening the knot and slipping her fingers inside his collar to touch his bare skin.

She purred with satisfaction and felt the connection ripple all the way down to her toes. _"SHIT!"_

He groaned, pulling their mouths apart long enough to grant her a glimpse of his startled expression, but it melted away, leaving her facing a level of arousal she'd never seen before. 

It was blunt and fierce and something inside her crackled with satisfaction. He cupped her shoulder and swept the straps of her dress down, instantly baring her breasts and binding her arms to her sides. Her room card went fluttering to the floor as she gasped. 

"I want to taste ever single part of you...."

He leaned over and closed his mouth around one puckered nipple, cupping the soft globe with a grip that was just shy of too aggressive. She gasped her eyes opening wide as she arched back, offering her breast to him. An insane spike of need tore through her, sending her lips thrusting toward him. His mouth was hot around her nipple, but his cock was rigid behind the smooth wool of his pants.

She twisted, trying to reach for him, but the straps of the dress held her arms firmly down at her sides. She must have made some sound of distress, because he lifted his head and tried to focus on her face.

His eyes were dilated, sexual hunger making them bright. In some part of her brain, she was pleased to know what she'd driven him just as insane as she was. 

Pleased? Hell, she was proud of herself. Delighted all the way to her core to know what she did to him. 

He chuckled, low and deep. "Are you enjoying the sight of what you do to me, Rey?"

"Yes."

He reached down and grasped the hem of her dress, pulling it up and over her head. His gaze felt like a flame as it traveled along her length his jaw clenching. "I like the view too."

She reached for the lapels of his jacket, pushing it back and forcing him to put his arms as he struggled out of it. "Wait...."

He grabbed the jacket before it fell to the floor and rummaged through all the pocket for the remote. He was breathing heavily as he pressed another button and they heard the door lock. Somehow, she'd forgotten about the door. Embarrassment began to burn a hole through the desire. 

She glanced around, remembering where she was. She stepped back and wobbled in her heels. Ben caught her, pulling her close and using his body to steady her. 

She lifted her head, intending to tell him that they had to stop, but he sealed her protest beneath his lips. She ended up melting and reached for what she craved most. She tore at his tie until she yanked it loose and threw it aside. He reached down and cupped her bottom, slipping his fingers beneath the edge of her lace panties. 

"I can smell how wet you are..." he growled. "...which isn't a good thing for you, Rey."

"Why?"

"Because I am going to _eat_ you alive." He gripped the back of her thighs and lifted her up, spreading her wide as he carried her and set her on a service table. 


	9. Chapter 9

She reached out and stroked his erection through his pants. He arched back with a groan, his teeth as his face became a tapestry of male need. He reached down and ripped open his waistband and fly, freeing his cock. 

The swollen organ fell into her hand. It was hard, covered on soft, hot velvet skin. Her clit pulsed as she stroked him from base to tip with her fingers. 

"Not yet...." he ordered hoarsely. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a condom. "..you're going to come with me." He tore the packet open and looked down as he donned the latex. "The next time, I'm going to lick every inch of you before we get to fuck."

He reached out and dipped his fingers beneath the small triangle of stain guarding her slit. "But you don't want to wait any more than I do." 

She let him push her back all the way until she was lying across the table. He pulled her last garment free and pressed into her body. The acute sense of arousal had made sure she was slick and wet. His cock slid easily between the lips of her slit to the entrance of her body, and the walls of her pussy protested. 

He gripped her hips and snarled something underneath his breath as he forced himself to ease forward. "Damn, you're so tight!"

"I don't care."

She opened her eyes and locked gazes with him. She closed her legs around him, pulling him toward her. 

"Not yet...." he growled, holding back with only the tip pf his cock inside her. He reached down, slipping the pad of his thumb against her clit and rubbing in earnest. She cried out, pleasure spiking through her. "That's it...open for me, Rey."

He rubbed as his cock slipped in deeper. "Now, Ben.... _please_ ," she insisted. 

He gritted his teeth and surged forward, stretching her body as he impaled her. It ached, but at the same time, an intense wave of satisfaction washed through her. 

It was deeper, more intimate than she recalled and and she arched to take his next thrust, and the next and the next. The blood was roaring in her ears, her heart pounding so hard that it felt like her chest couldn't hold it in. None of that mattered. All she cared about was lifting her ups for him, making sure she was training toward him so that her clit received the maximum amount of pressure.

She was racing toward the peak, and all that mattered was the climax she felt building deep inside her. Somehow, she'd forgotten how incredible the pleasure was. Every thrust sent a cry past her lips as she moved closer and closer to the moment of release.

Reason melted away away as instinct controlled her. When it came, she felt like she was being ripped apart. The pleasure started as spasms in her core.

She felt the crown of hic cock lodging deep inside her and her body clenched around it, trying to milk it as ripple after ripple of ecstasy rolled through her. 

"Look at me...." he commanded. He pinned her beneath his body, even locking her arms above her head. "Let me see you."

Her eyelids were heavy, but she lifted them and felt like the last layer of personal space between them was ripped clean away. He commanded the rhythm completely, surging into her with motions that made her breasts bounce and the table jerk.

He was just big enough to stretch her to the limit, and it satisfied some deep instincts to feel his balls slapping against her bottom. He was growing harder, thicker as he bared his teeth and snarled. 

The muscles in his neck corded as he tightened his grip on her wrists. "Goddamn it....you...are mine....mine...mine...mine." he growled as he drove into her over and over again. 

She wanted to close her eyes but held them open as his face contorted in ecstasy. She watched it bite into his facial expression, stealing every last bit of composure and laying him bare. She purred with satisfaction a moment before her body erupted into a second round of rapture.

It was deeper, righter, and harder than the first release. She lost the battle to keep her eyes open and arched as sensation ruled her completely.

When it finished, she felt like she'd been dropped onto the table. Every muscle felt strained and she was coasted in perspiration. Her heart thumped so hard she thought it would burst. Ben stroked her cheek and laid a line of tiny kisses across her bare torso. He cupped her breasts, massaging them before he pushed up and withdrew from her.

Something buzzed and she opened her eyes to see what it was.

"No rest for the owner..."

Ben stepped back, grabbing a towel from the end of the table and wiping the condom away with an efficient swift motion. He closed his fly and handed her a towel before withdrawing a cell-phone from his pants pocket.

He read text message before frowning and pushing a button. "Take care of him." Someone on the other end of the line was arguing. "No, I pay you to deal with this sort of thing." There was another around of arguing before Ben shorted. "Fine, fine, I'll be right there."

He dropped the cell-phone and started buttoning his shirt as she sat up and used the towel to dry herself, feeling unbelievably exposed. 

"I have a health inspector down in the galley being a dick and demanding to see the owner cine he heard I'm here." He offered her, her dress before he turned and retrieved his tie. He was pulling it around his neck as he made his way towards the door. "I've got to go and deal with the guy. He shut my kitchen down saying I've got illegally harvested salmon. The asshole."

He'd already mentally withdrawn from her, his mind back on business. Rey pulled her dress on and leaned over to pick up her room card as he unlocked the doors and left. She felt sick to her stomach.

It was everything she'd expected, but that didn't mean the experience was worth it. She stood for a long moment, letting the sting burn through her. She should have remembered. She should have forced herself to recall the place where men like Ben Solo put the women he fucked. And that's all it had been to him.

A fuck. So she couldn't let it mean anything else to her. Just a check mark on the to-be-dealt-with list. 

She grabbed her wrap and headed back towards her room. The majestic view held little appeal as she did the walk of shame past the staff, who knew exactly what their boss had been doing. She tore her dress off the moment she turned the bolt on her room door and then dropped the dress into the nearest trash can, feeling filthy and cheap.

_Stupid....so fucking stupid!_

She refused to cry. Absolutely forbade the tears welling up in her eyes to drop down her cheeks. She settled for getting into the shower and scrubbing her skin until every last trace of Benjamin Solo was washed away.

Her cell-phone was buzzing when she finally emerged from the shower. The mirror was completely obscured and steam swirled around in a lazy cloud. She picked up the phone, frowning when she read the called ID.

"What the hell are you doing calling me on your honeymoon?" Rey admonished Rose. "Your new husband's image is taking a major hit right now."

And it was far too tempting an opportunity to unload. Rey hit her lower lip, sealing in the emotions that were trying to spill out of her. She might have just made a huge colossal mistake, but that didn't mean that she was going to top it by being a lousy friend. Only Ben seemed to be able to strip away her standards. 

There was no way she was going to spill her guts while her best friend was on her honeymoon. 

Rose laughed on the other end of the line. "Hmm, I might tell him that," she purred. "No, I just wanted to make sure that everything is measuring up. I can't have my best friend disappointed on a trip I arranged, also I want to make sure that Ben Solo is behaving himself."

"About that...." Rey caught herself in the defogging mirror. Her eyelids were heavy and her lips swollen. "Who's paying for this? You or Ben?"

"Ummm....I'm not sure about that." Rey answered. "Ben owns the mansion, so it's quite possible he's just writing it off as a favor to Finn."

"He's here."

"What?" Rose's voice sharpened. 

Rey bit her lip to contain the tremor trying to leak into her voice. "A little warning would have been greatly appreciated." 

Rose clicked her tongue. "Excuse me, Rey, but I need to go kill my husband. Or at the very least impress upon him the dangers of setting up my best girlfriend."

"You do that." 

Rey snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the bed. Her knees were still weak. The puddle of emerald green satin in the trash can caught her eyes and ignited her temper. She flipped open her phone and dialed the number to Solo Industries private planes.

"Good evening, Ms. Kenobi. How may we help you?"

"I'd like to return to Southern California. Immediately."

She could hear the soft sound of keys being depressed on a terminal. "I've got a crew that can be airborne in half an hour."

"Thank you and don't worry, I will be ready."

She killed the call and yanked on a pair of jeans and threw on a t-shirt. Within ten minutes, she had her clothing shoved back into her suitcase. 

She made it down to the desk as someone drove up in the all-terrain golf cart. "Sorry to see you leave so suddenly, Ms. Kenobi."

Rey turned and gave the mansion one last look in all its glory. The sun was just going down, casting a ruby glow over the grounds. It was a shame she hadn't even had a chance to mediate with such an amazing view as inspiration, but for a moment, the sight shoved aside the massive stone-building of regret sitting on her chest.

She climbed into the private aircraft and sat near a window so she could watch as the plane took off. The moment she felt the aircraft leave the ground, she sunk back into the seat and felt the devastation rip into her.

She knew better than this. Really, really knew better. Why hadn't she just listened to her gut, her instincts? This goes to show, she hadn't learned from her mistakes. Not at all.

* * *

Ben struggled to maintain his composure. The health inspector was in the mood to draw out his visit. He ambled through the kitchen, selecting various personnel for lengthy discussions during the peak dinner rush. Orders were backing up and tempers were running short as ben tried to keep the man on track.

By the time the inspector left, Ben was close to sending his fist into the man's face. Instead, he turned to to find his head room steward waiting for him.

"Did you deliver the order?" he growled.

"Your guest in the private dinning room has departed. The front desk says that she left in a Solo Enterprises jet."

Ben checked his watch and cursed something under his breath. Two _fucking_ hours! But of course, she'd run. What bothered him the most was how strong his impulse was in a give chase. He should have been relieved. 

He turned and made his way to the suite. He pounded on the door just once before using his master key to open it. Two steps inside and he knew that she was gone.

The wardrobe doors were open, granting him a view of the empty interior. The bed was crisp and clean, the sheets turned down but undisturbed. A used towel was dropped on the bathroom floor, a few wet puddles remaining on the surface of the marble tile. There wasn't a personal item left in sight. Rey was gone, gone.

The trash can caught his eye, the emerald green dress lying there abandoned. Maybe he should thank her. There were certainly plenty of times he'd enjoyed knowing his liaisons didn't expect anything further from him.

Right now, that thought made him feel like total shit. Like complete total shit. 

Her butt was numb the time Rey made it back to Southern California. She wished her feelings about Ben would quickly join in. She wasn't going to get that lucky, it seemed. As she made her way to the curb and flagged down a cab, she fought back a wave of bitterness.

Honestly, she'd known what sort of man Ben Solo was the moment she'd first set eyes on him. Dark, controlling, and impossible to resist. He was a danger zone for any woman who had even a scrap of decency. The type of played high-stakes games and went after sexual interests with the same zeal. She'd known, so there was no reason to become all emotional.

It was time to look on the bright side. Hux was no longer the last man in her bed. Well, on her table. She felt her cheeks burn and drew in a shaky breath.

Focus, she ordered herself. At least the sex had been good. Okay, scratch that, it had been completely, mind-blowing. Another bright little thought. She paid the cab driver and dug her house keys out if her bag. 

Everything inside her house was familiar, like a good friend welcoming her back. She locked the door behind her and reengaged the security system. Yeah, that was familiar too.

The need to watch her back. Her ex-husband was an art collector, and she had been one of his most prized possessions. He wasn't a man used to having his toys taken way from him. He thrived on control, and she felt the days ticking away when he'd be free to torment her again were growing closer and closer.

She'd handle it. Only because she'd have to. At least Ben had made sure that she didn't need to do anything about him. That should have gone down in her book as another good thing. But sadly, it hadn't. 

When her alarm clock went off the next morning, she decided she was pathetic. She'd been up for the last two hours. She rolled out of bed without even thinking about sleeping the better part of the day away. Pathetic. 

At work, her boss poked his head out of his office when she passed by on the way to hers. "Did all the loud sounds of New York kill you and your ghost has decided to haunt our hallways?" Poe Dameron asked from her doorway with his usual brassy, navy-yard tone. 

There was no hedging around the topic. When Poe wanted to know something, he went ahead full throttle right past personal boundary lines. 

"No, I just came home early and decided not to burn my vacation days," Rey answered as she tucked her purse into her desk drawer.

Her ex-JAG boss was still very fit, even if genetics had let him down when it came to hair. He'd responded to his rising hairline by shaving his head. He declared it made him look more of a badass, as if the tattoo on his forearm wasn't enough. Ideally, Rey wished he hadn't---unbeknownst to him, she always thought he had such pretty curly greying black hair.

Poe crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. "You have three months on the books. I was more than happy to see you taking some of it."

The hint hung in the air between them. "Thanks so much for the warm welcome back, boss." She put her hands on her keyboard and hoped he'd shove off. Poe's eyes narrowed, warning her of an incoming cross-examination. "Don't, Poe," she warned him.

One of his eyebrows rose at this remark, he could clearly see that she was in no mood whatsoever to discuss her vacation or what happened there-lack-of. 

Rey pointed a slim finger at him. "Please, don't put on the JAG face. You're a local civilian now. Which means that I can argue with you if I so choose to." Poe bared his teeth and bit the air in front of him. "Sorry, we work together," Rey answered his silent "bite me" look.

As usual, Poe had his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. His upper body still in prime condition, despite his discharge from the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Baring his forearms was cutting loose as far as her boss went, but Rey didn't judge him too harshly.

After all, twenty years in a JAG uniforms would make bare forearms pretty laid back by comparison. "Tell me right here and now with a straight face that you have absolutely nothing you'd like to get off your desk, and I'll leave," she challenged him.

Poe snorted. "Guilty as charged. But you shouldn't make this place your second home because I'm a sucker for hard-luck cases."

"You like the buzz of winning the fight for the underdog."

"That's what I said." 

Her boss abandoned the door frame and returned to his office. His law firm wasn't in some upscale part of down because Poe had a bit of a soft spot for servicemen who needed legal services on a budget. Sometimes, the budget was only a handshake and a promise of payment when they could scrape it together. If ever.

Rey loved her job. Oh, it never would have suited Hux and his ideas of what his wife should _really_ be doing with her time. 

Every aspect of her life had been expected to enhance his image. She'd taken extreme pleasure in leaving the law firm that she'd worked for during the marriage. Poe took on real problems, not petty quarrels between socialites and their husbands of the moment.

She wanted to practice law where justice was served, no the whim of those who only wanted to escape retribution for their crimes and had the money to do with it.

She signed into her computer and dove into her inbox. Lunch was a sandwich at her desk, and by the end of the day, she was almost feeling normal again. Total immersion in her job had its uses.

"Hi-yah!" Poe yelled from his office at four-thirty. "Get your tail going before Mast Yoda comes calling me!"

Rey signed off and grabbed her purse. She paused in her boss's door frame. "Mast Yoda doesn't even know that I'm back yet."

Poe looked at her over the top of his monitor. "I'm out of here in twenty myself. Can't get soft in my old age. I'm meeting my buddy Chunky BB-8 for a run out on the beach,"

"You guys seriously have some of the weirdest taste in names."

Poe grinned and rubbed the top of his shaved head. His buddies had taken to calling him Whiteout. Rey offered him a two-finger salute before heading down the hallway. The office was neat but furnished with only the basic necessities. She was one of eight-lawyers. 

The office had only three assistants but she didn't care. It was satisfying work, even if she'd taken a pay cut when she signed on. She didn't miss the top-shelf life-style. The private dinning room flashed before her eyes, and she conceded that she did miss some things. Fine dining was definitely one of them.

* * *

But that only sourced her mood, because of her favorite restaurants was off limits now. Angelino's was one of her favorite brunch spots too. She slid behind the wheel of her red speeder Corvette and pouted. She might need to go into full mourning for the Malibu cliff-top restaurant. 

Southern California traffic was teeming with life as she made her way across town to the martial arts studio where she trained. Pulling around back, she parked and grabbed her gear bag before opening the back door. 

One of the junior masters poked his head out of the back room to see who was arriving. His eyes widened with immediate surprise.

"Vacation got canceled," she offered before disappearing into the women's locker room. _No, more like you chickened out...._

Maybe, but sometimes picking your battles was the wiser course of action. When it came to Ben, she couldn't trust herself, so engaging him was a bad idea. The studio was full of kids in white uniforms. They all had on different-colored belts, and their parents waited in the seating area as the kids trained. 

As the evening progressed, more advanced students arrived. By the time Rey made it back home, she was completely exhausted. Her own training was hard, but teaching younger kids held unique challenges that mentally wiped her clean out.

Kids needed to be motivated, and that was a lot harder than just snapping at them to stand still. Her own classes made sure that her legs felt like noodles from fatigue.

The brisk pace kept her mind from having time to kick in and distract her with Ben. Another reason why she loved her martial arts training: the sheer focus needed to do it kept her from going insane from her memories. She punched in her security code and was welcomed into her small townhouse by a chirp. 

Once through the door, she tapped in the second code and heard another chirp to let know the perimeter was armed. Her first stop was the kitchen for some pain reliever. But she smiled with satisfaction as she swallowed a couple of capsules. Training was her choice of drug. It gave her a high and made sure that she'd sleep through the night. She headed up the stairs.

A short shower later, she collapsed on her bed in an old T-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. It was routine that served her well, giving her a little time to think about the men out there in the world.

Except for the fact that Ben Solo showed up in her dreams, haunting her to the point of where she wanted to get out of bed and flee into the night. 

Saturday arrived with too many free hours in the day for her taste. Rey rolled out of bed early because the summer heat was going to make housework a bitch by midday. She left her old T-shirt on and only added a bra and cutoff jeans that had several splotches on them where bleach had hit the fabric.

She used a clip to hold her hair on top of her head and added a headband to keep the shorter strands out of her eyes. July in Southern California was always blistering. 

_Yeah, that's why you booked an New York vacation....._

She indulged herself in a moment of self-pity as she imagined how cool the breeze would have been, both figuratively and temperature-wise. Rey started on the windows first. She pulled her ladder out of her garage and climbed to the second story. 

She fit her key into the lock on the artful but sturdy floral iron screens she had fitted over the windows to secure them. Swinging one out, she began to deal with the dirty glass. 

The sun was baking the back of her neck by the time she finished the corner bedroom and climbed back down. "What the hell do you think you are you doing?" She jumped back and blinked like a simpleton at Ben.

He looked up the ladder and back at her gloved hands. It took a moment for it to sink in that he was actually there. He _was_ here....in _her_ house. 

"You're a lawyer, Rey. Haven't you ever heard of a cleaning service?"

Dealing with his memory was a lot easier than facing him in person. he had on a pair of dark jeans that fit him too well for her comfort. She was already noticing details about him---how dark his hair was, how much she wanted to run her fingers through it's length.

Her damned hormones were kicking into overdrive at the very sight of him. Her world tilting off it's center. Shit! The guy was her personal form of crack. 

She pulled one of her gloves off. "Excuse me. Is there any particular reason why you feel that you have the right to make observations concerning my life choices?"

He pulled his mirrored sunglasses off, and she was instantly caught again in his powerful gaze. The way the man struck her was so bloody unfair. Awareness rippled through her, like the lights turning on in a dark warehouse. Where she had thought there was nothing but empty darkness, there were now a thousand different areas of interest. 

His lips rose, just the slightest amount at the corners. "I'll be more than happy to remind you if you've somehow forgotten." 

_She hadn't forgotten_. She didn't think she would ever forget anything of what she had experienced with Ben Solo so long as she lived.

His memory had kept her company last night. Not that she planned on admitting it to him. Dealing with her own fickle reaction was troubling enough as it is. 

"Maybe you should go and check your cell-phone." It was a low blow, but she needed a shortcut back to reality before she lost herself again in him. 

His teasing demeanor instantly vanished at her words. "That was poor timing on my part. And I'm sorry for that." 

"Don't sweat it, Solo." She meant it as a brush-off and tried to walk by him, but he reached out and caught her elbow.

The contact was jarring, snapping her back into the vortex of need and arousal that had been the cause of her downfall in New York. There was something about him that was just sinfully hard for her to resist. 

Rey pulled her elbow away and faced him head on. "I _really_ don't need this, Ben. It's been on hell of a week for me, okay?" 

She hadn't meant that last part to slip out and ground her teeth together after hearing it. She sounded pathetic. Marking time like a jilted prom date.

"It might have been piss-poor timing, but I was trying t run a business. I couldn't break away until yesterday. New York runs on it's own personal timetable." 

"You don't owe me an explanation, Ben. You don't owe me anything," She managed to soften her voice. "You didn't seduce me." She then turned and walked around the corner of her house and opened the back door. 

But Ben followed her right inside her kitchen making it shrink. "Then maybe I should have."


	10. Chapter 10

She froze. Not because of the words that he had chose but because of the tone of his voice. He was sincere and it touched her deeply. 

"Look, I lost my head." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter, making it clear that he was settling in and not going anywhere anytime soon. 

She opened her mouth but a snappy retort seemed beyond her grasp. "Likewise."

Satisfaction flickered in his eyes. It warmed her insides, sending them into a soft churning that horrified her with just intensely he affected her. It would be so simple for him to become her bad habit. 

"I would have called you, but that would have entailed asking Rose for your number since yours is unlisted and you didn't give a number to the mansion with your registration."

She didn't care for how much she liked hearing he'd at least tried to reach out to her. A ridiculous amount of pleasure bubbled up inside her, forcing her to press her lips together before she ended up smiling like a simpleton.

"I also didn't think you'd appreciate me asking Rose."

"Well, we have that in common. Because you know she'd tell Finn you asked for it." She didn't need any eyewitness to how much of a failure she was ignoring him. but her lips twitched just a bit as she hared a moment of common ground with him. 

He tilted his head to one side, offering her a sheepish grin. "That too. Finn has a memory like a steep trap door."

She was caught up again in how easy it was to talk to him. Like stepping into a bubble where a kindred spirit waited. Their gazes met and his grin melted as his jaw tightened. She felt the shift between them, that undeniable pull toward each other that overrode every scrap of reasoning she had.

Rey took a deep breath and started tugging one of her work gloves off. "But that still doesn't explain how you found my address."

"You used a credit card at Angelino's in the past."

Of course, her billing address was attached to the card. Sneaky, Solo, really sneaky--- _you fucking stalker!_ Yet, at the same time she was glad that he was here in her house, standing before her and that agitated her. 

_If you want to give me the slip, you had better learn to cover your tracks, Rey._

His words rose from her memory and sent a chill down her spine. She felt cornered but there was still that undeniable twinge of appreciation for his skills.

"I think that's a tad bit...illegal." He stared straight at her, his stance unwavering. She ended up choking on a laugh. "You really got no shame whatsoever, do you, Ben Solo?"

"Not a scrap," he confirmed. "I left it behind when I went to New York. Along with those who laughed at us. I'm successful because I always go after what I want and I don't take much time worrying about what other people think of my methods."

In a single sentence, he'd changed the mood back to the one that has shifting away from the overwhelming stimulus he radiated. He was aggressive, but it was attractive. No, it was damn hot!

"Admit it, Rey. You enjoy the fact knowing I tracked you down."

_Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, unlike you, Solo, I don't kiss and tell all of my secrets....at least not if I can help it, that is...._

Oh, who the hell was she kidding? The air-conditioning flipped on and Rey reached over and pushed the back door shut out of habit, grateful to have something to focus on beside her unexpected guest. She flipped the lock and tapped in her security code while still on autopilot.

When she turned around, Ben was watching her with a frown on his face. "Sorry, guess I shouldn't have locked you in. Habit."

"I noticed." He contemplated her for another long moment. "You don't have a cleaning service because you're restricting access."

She didn't care for the way he had switched over to all-business mode. His razor-sharp gaze swept across her small kitchen, pausing on the decorative iron bars over every window. The key was dangling from a bungee cord around her wrist. 

"You're drawing conclusions without any sort of evidence."

His gaze narrowed before sweeping over the kitchen again. "You must only have a third of your available resources tied up in this place." He turned and looked out of the kitchen window at the tiny backyard and the neighboring unit rising above the fence. "Privacy here seems very limited."

"It's not a big deal."

He returned her attention to her, and she found herself staring at the side of his personality that had helped him build the mansion of a gold strike. There was directness in his gaze and a tense of focus she couldn't help but admire, as much as she wanted to hide from it.

He opened his arms and gripped the edge of her kitchen counter. She got the feeling that he was holding himself back, and her belly twisted with anticipation.

"You ran from me."

Four little words had never sounded so incriminating. She stiffened, determined to maintain her composure. 

"You _were_ clearly finished with me," she countered but flinched at how sharp the words were coming out of her mouth. "I saw no reason there for me to stay."

He slowly shook his head. A flicker of need in his eyes sent her body into complete meltdown mode. "I was nowhere near finished. Neither of us were. Look, I admit, I was an idiot for taking the call." He then stepped closer, sending a shiver down her spine. "I might even admit that it's a habit to keep from having to deal with messy, clingy good-byes. But I am not finished with you."

Sometime during his speech, she'd forgotten the ability to breathe. She felt like she was poised in the open doorway of an airplane, trying to decide if she really wanted to jump and trust the fragile fabric of her parachute. 

"Well, I'm finished with you." There would be no jumping for her.

He slowly shook his head at her. "Not by a long shot."

She backed up, the heat in his voice scalding her. Even with the air conditioner pumping cool air into the room, she felt overheated and trapped inside her clothing. "I'm not interested, Ben." 

"Yes. Yes, you are," he shot back.

That was an argument she wasn't going to win, so she switched tactics. "Is your ego really so damned inflated that you can't deal with the simple fact that I left before you even decided you were ready for me to go?"

He drew in a stiff breath. "That thought had crossed my kind." 

"Good." Except she was disappointed. There was a ring of truth in his voice that snagged at her attention. 

"Why is why I'm here now." He extended his hand, palm up, the invitation evidently clear. 

Rey looked down at it and shook her head. "And what exactly do you think showing up here, completely unannounced is going to prove?"

"Maybe the same thing that you're worried it will--that walking away isn't going to be easy for either of us. That there was more to what happened between us than either of us wants to admit. Maybe I am jaded enough to admit that I keep my sex life casual, but I think there was more to the spark between us. At least, what's what's driving me insane enough to swallow my pride. The question is, are you really going to let it slip away because you're too busy avoiding the issue of trusting a man?" 

She stiffened, her fingers itching to take on his challenge. “It might have just been the heat of the moment....” 

Maybe it has just been the wine and the setting that made him seem so devastating. After all, he had played his part well in the art of seducing her. Either way, she had fallen for it and payed the price of getting too close. 

“That’s what I want to find out...” He extended his hand a little further towards her. 

_Tempting. So tempting._ She extended her hand and laid it on top of his. His skin was warm and smoother than she’d recalled. He didn’t close his hand around hers. Instead, he drew his fingers over the top of her hand in a slow stroke that made her knees go weak. His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned in a purely sexual way. 

She remembered the look, felt it like it was seared into her memory. In fact, she was sure her face mirrored his. Ben smiled in victory. 

He stepped back and leaned against the kitchen counter once more, looking like the effort cost him a lot. "Have dinner with me tonight." he said.

Her composure was crackling, threatening to desert her in a shower of broken glass at any second. "I really don't think that's a wise decision."

"You're selling us both short, Rey. I want the chance to make my argument." 

She liked hearing that. There was no way to deny it. It seeped into the cracks in her shell. "Last time I was at Angelino's, there was no shortage of attractive woman clustered around you."

"None of them give me the same charge I get when I touch you." He challenged her with a hard look. "At least I'm honest enough to admit it."

"Only because you want me to throw caution to the wind," she answered. "You're daring me."

He shrugged and replaced his shades. "True but you didn't strike me as a woman who'd let fear paralyze her. Maybe I misjudged you." He pulled a business card from his wallet and placed it on the kitchen counter. "If you don't burn this one, maybe you could let me know before five o'clock."

He reached over and punched in the code to her security system and it chirped. Her eyes widened with horror at just how keen his sight was. He touched his fingers to his lips in a silent kiss before disappearing into her back patio. She caught a glimpse of him as he passed the side of her townhome, and he heard the side gate open and close.

She cut through the house and peeked out the front door as he slid behind the wheel of a recently polished Jeep with the top down.

The sun glistened off his black hair, and he grinned as he grasped the gear shift and put it into drive. Her mouth was dry as she watched him disappear down the short cul-de-sac she lived on.

That Jeep was sexier than any sports car. It fit the image she had of him, one supported by the memory of him in that low crouch, halfway down a rock incline in New York. Strong, hands on. Competent. She closed the door and found herself caught in a vivid memory of the way he'd stroked her clit.

He was arrogant, but his attitude left her craving more. And he had a point. A very valid one that stung more than she'd realized it would. She was letting herself be paralyzed. Hux shouldn't be able to do that to her.

She wasn't sure when she'd stopped getting back to doing what she wanted. But the hard truth was that Rose had been sole friend for the past few days. Sure, there were business functions and mild flirtations that she'd allowed to grow into anything more. She stopped in the kitchen and started at the personal card he'd left her.

_To be dealt with....._

Ben had more....direct way of asking. Well, he wasn't the only one enjoyed a challenge. And sometimes, it was a case of now or never. 

* * *

He had things to do. Lots of important matters that would increase his profit margin. But Ben found himself waiting for his cell phone to buzz. More to the point, he was waiting for it to buzz with a message from Rey. 

The little piece of technology lit up and buzzed, but he sent the incoming calls to his voicemail. He was only interested in hearing from one person right now. He hit in the interstate at seventy-five, but the wind in his face wasn't strong enough to carry away the delicate scent of her skin.

His cock twitched, hardening as he recalled just how green her eyes were. He'd wanted to know if a week would make a difference, and he had that answer now. It had made a difference.

She was worming her way even deeper beneath his skin. It was both a balm and an irritant, leaving him poised on the edge. He didn't want to admit how infatuated he really was with her. He took the cutoff toward the ocean. The air became thick with the scent of water and salt. In the distance, he could see the glitter of the sunlight on the water.

Inside his pocket, his phone vibrated and he dug it out in defiance of the law. A surge of primal enjoyment went through him when he found a text message from her.

_Touché, Solo. I have been hiding. What time do you want to connect? I'll drive myself._

Rey waited for a reply. It didn't take very long, not that she expected it from a guy like Ben Solo, anyways.

_Making sure you have some sort of escape plan ready?_

She glared at the screen of her smartphone but didn't hesitate when she punch in the word: _yes._ If he didn't like the condition of her terms, too damn bad. She was running this show, not him.

 _One step at a time there, okay, Solo,_ she added,

 _Wear your best jeans_ , was his too-soon of a reply. She rolled her eyes at this. 

Ben's Italian restaurant was located on the Southern California coastline, overlooking a stretch of the beach. It was definitely not the place for jeans. She felt off getting into her car wearing denim, even if she'd dug out her best pair of jeans.

Hux had demanded designer dresses at all times. _Fuck Hux._ That made her smile, so she mouthed the words a second time as she smoothed a hand over her thigh. Denim was perfect.

She headed toward Malibu. The freeway became crowded and expensive cars were more common as she neared the coastline. Drivers talked on their cell-phones in spite of the hands-free law, watching the road through designed shades. Angelino's boasted a clientele that enjoyed the best. Sunset was still an hour away when she pulled up in front of the posh establishment.

A valet jogged around the hood of her speeder Corvette and pulled open the door for her. She gave him a five and a sweet smile. 

"No scratches, please."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered before sliding behind the wheel with a grin.

"Somehow, I never pictured you driving a cherry-red Corvette."

Ben appeared from one of the elegantly landscaped areas off to the right of the main entrance. He wasn't wearing the suit he normally associated with his five-star establishment. Instead, he had on a pair of jeans and a button-down, black shirt. He was shaking his head repeatedly at her.

"I'm divorced, Solo, not dead."


End file.
